Blissfully Pathetic
by DC World
Summary: Zack always found Cody and Bailey's mushiness rather pathetic and vowed that if he ever fell in love he would never act that way. But can he keep that vow? Not the summary I wanted, but it will have to do.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, this is my first Suite Life fic and I am super excited to share it with you. This story was inspired by a whole lot of things. This particular chapter was inspired by bits and piece " Repercussions Part 2" by Elianna22. I liked her idea of having Cody working for Tipton Industries and the also the fact that she wrote Cody as a light weight so I used those. Also the visual of Cody singing while he is drunk was amusing, so I used that ( the song he sings in this chapter is different then Ellie's, but it is a song that she uses in a different chapter…that is just a coincidence .) The first sentence of this chapter is almost the same as the first chapter of her chapter 12, but I didn't even notice that until my sister pointed it out. Also - mainly because I am a huge dork- every one of the chapters in this story will contain at least one Dawson's Creek reference/ tie-in. This chapter is a tough one. My sister missed it the first time she read this. Virtual cookies for anyone who can figure them out. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Suite Life or anything that sounds familiar to you. **

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Zack let out a soft groan and slowly opened one eye, then the other. Little by little the ceiling of the suite in which he often ended up spending the night - despite owing his own one room apartment - came into focus. Lazily, he reached out with his right hand and fumbled around for his cell phone which was on the bedside dresser. Flipping it open he squinted his eyes and read the text message that appeared on the screen.

_**Where are you? We have a lunch date with mom and dad today at 12:30. Remember?**_

He glanced at the bottom left hand corner of his phone and inwardly cursed. It was already 11:37. Slowly he sat up and typed his brother a quick reply. _**Dude, chill. Be there in 30. **_

When he was done he shut his phone, tossed it back onto the dresser and slumped back onto the soft mattress, his left arm lightly brushing against a warm body in the bed beside him. A small grin appeared on his lips as he turned onto his side to face the angel who was still sleeping soundly, her long blonde wavy hair partially covering her face. Gently he leaned over and tucked her hair behind her ear before lightly kissing her on the cheek. He marvelled at how much he enjoyed the feeling of her soft skin against his lips.

" Babe?" he whispered, almost wishing that he didn't have to wake her so that he could spend another couple of minutes just watching her sleep. But he knew that he had to get up soon if he wanted to take a shower before he met his parents - and brother- for lunch in the hotel's restaurant. " Anna, sweetheart , I have to leave."

He heard her mumbled incoherently, causing him to chuckle softy. _She is way to damn cute. _

After a moment she rolled over to fully face him, her eyes still half closed. "But, I don't want you to leave." A pout formed on her lips and Zack resisted the urge to kiss her soundly.

" I don't want to leave either," he admitted truthfully, " but I hardly ever see my dad. I don't think he would very impressed if I missed seeing him, even if he found out I was with a very hot, sexy, irresistible women such as yourself."

She let out a small giggle, fully awake now. " You're such a charmer Zackary Martin," she cooed, reaching out to caress his cheek.

" I do my best." He gave her his most charming smile.

She raised a suggestive eyebrow at him and leaned up for a kiss. He knew that the moment their lips touched he would be a goner. And he was right. Her very presence seemed to intoxicate him and he soon found all rational thoughts slipping away. Placing his hands around her waist he rolled over onto his back, pulling her top of him. He let out a low moan as her lips left his and began to descend down his jaw line. Then she momentarily stopped kissing him and gave him a cheeky smirk - she seemed to rather enjoy the fact that her kisses caused him to have such sensations.

The look on his face when she stopped made her giggle. " Is something the matter, darling?" she asked innocently.

He shook his head playfully, his bangs falling in front of his eyes. Pushing his hair out of his face he smirked back at her. " Nope." Then he pulled her head back towards him and kissed her passionately. _Screw having a shower. _

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The sound of his phone once again vibrating against the dresser , indicating that he had another text message, broke his trance. " Damn it." Slowly he sat up, causing Anna to climb off of him. Grabbing his phone, he flipped it open, fully prepared to strangle whoever had just interrupted his bliss. _**Okay. See you soon.**_

Zack let out a sigh and placed the phone back on the dresser. You have impeccable timing little brother, he thought miserably. You're almost as bad as Moseby. " I really do have to go," he said turning to Anna and giving her an apologetic smile. " But, feel free to order breakfast while I'm gone. Just charge it to Cody' name."

She slowly nodded - a small frown forming on her lips - and he leaned over to gently kiss her on the forehead. " I'll be back after lunch, I promise." And with that he got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom for a quick shower, his mind still on the women he had just left behind.

Anna was the younger sister of Peter Markham - Cody's old roommate from Harvard. They had met at Cody and Pete's graduation, where she spent the whole night practically crying on his shoulder about her cruel, reckless, good-for-nothing - but rich and powerful- husband, Jonathon Harrington the third. Normally Zack didn't like to get involved with women who had so much baggage, but there was just something about Anna that he was attracted to and he found himself consoling her. They had sex for the first time that night in the girls bathroom on the main floor of the Tipton - where this party was coincidently being held - and it had been one of the most mind boggling experiences of Zack's life. They have been having secret rendezvous at the Tipton every since. Although he knew it was wrong, and he had to admit that the reason he started this relationship in the first place was because the idea of being with a married women sounded both dangerous and exciting, Zack was now hopelessly in love with Anna - something he never in a million years expected to happen. He always thought he would spend his whole life floating from one relationship to another, free as bird.

The only other person that Zack thought he loved was Maddie Fitzpatrick - the candy counter girl at the Tipton when he still lived there as an adolescent. And even that just couldn't compare to what he had now. When the twins had come back from their two years aboard, Zack discovered that despite still caring very much for Maddie, he no longer had the strong desire to kiss her. It seemed time had dampened that flame. Besides, Maddie had gone off to Worthington and started a romance with her Eng. Lit. Prof. 9 years later that relationship was still going strong. Despite that, the two of them had become quite good friends over the years and Zack now had the utmost respect for the women that had once been the object of his teenage sexual fantasies.

As he let the warm water of the shower run over his body and relax him , Zack's mind began to wander to last night. Yesterday had been the twin's 25th birthday and Mr. Tipton had arranged a birthday party for them, inviting only family and close friends. And it's a good thing too, he thought with a grin as images of his brother appeared in his head. Cody was not one to drink very often, but when he did he always seemed to make an ass out of himself. Last night was no exception. The sound of Cody singing in a slightly out-of-tune and slurring voice echoed in his brain.

_It was 1989, my thoughts were short my hair was long_

_Caught somewhere between a boy and man_

_She was seventeen and she was far from in-between_

_It was summertime in Northern Michigan_

Zack had to laugh at the irony of his brother singing this song. He highly doubted that there was a summer - or any part of Cody's life for that matter- which remotely resembled the words of this song. Him on the other hand….well, let's just say that the summer after his high school graduation was one that he would never forget.

Although he was always the first one to point out that his younger ( by 10 minutes) brother was a huge dork - predominantly when they were teenagers- Zack was extremely proud of Cody and all of his achievements. In particular, the fact that in the last three years Cody Martin had been steadily climbing the corporate ladder and was well on his way to becoming the most promising business man of the early 21st century. He had recently been promoted to Junior Vice- President of Tipton Industries- a job that Zack actually knew very little about. But, as long as Cody still knew what was going on at all those meetings, Zack supposed it really didn't matter what he understood about the multi-trillion dollar company.

He shook his head slightly as he rinsed the soap off his body. It never ceased to amaze him that despite the fact that he and Cody looked so similar ( Cody was slightly taller and skinnier) they were different in pretty much every other aspects of their lives. In high school ( and even middle school) Cody had been a straight A+ student - always receiving awards and certificates. Zack got mostly Ds and occasionally even failed a class - always receiving detentions and scoldings. When it came to girls Zack spent a lot of time being a flirt during his early teenage years - never really having a serious relationship- and then having a few to many one-night stands ( even for his own liking) in his late teens and early twenties. Cody on the other hand, never really got the whole concept of flirting and only had two serious relationships - one that lasted two years and the one he was currently in, which he had started when he was 15 and a half. Although Cody was no longer a virgin - the love of his life, Bailey, and him had been each others firsts on the night of their high school graduation- Zack knew that Bailey had been the only women his brother had ever been with. And that was exactly how Cody thought it should be. Zack had to admit that he was happy for his brother and glad that he had found someone who he cared for and loved very much- someone who returned those feelings. They had recently gotten engaged and were planning on getting married aboard the S.S. Tipton ( now managed by Mr. Moebsy's niece Nia and her husband Phil), which they would be revisiting for their 10 year anniversary.

Zack turned off the shower and grabbed for a towel. Drying himself off he let out a contented sigh. Sure, he and Cody were as different as could be, but they also had a relationship that went beyond words- beyond anything Zack had or could have with someone else. They were soul mates.

A few minutes later he emerged from the bathroom fully dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a light blue button up shirt. He quickly grabbed his phone off the bedside table and gave Anna - who had fallen back asleep - one more quick kiss on the cheek before opening the door and walking out into the hallway. Just as he shut the door to the suite his phone began to vibrate once more . He quickly flipped it open. _**You're late. **_Zack didn't even bother to reply, his brother lived just down the hall and he would be there in seconds.

Moments later he walked into Cody's room and let out a small chuckle at sight of his brother . " Dude, I thought we were going for a causal lunch with our parents. You look like we're going to some five star restaurant."

Cody raised his eyebrow. " We _are _going to a five star restaurant. And I am causal. Look," he opened up his suit jacket, " no vest."

" Really, Cody? No vest?"

Ignoring his brother's retort, Cody grabbed a bottle of water from his fridge. "What took you so long, anyways?"

Zack gave him charming smirk. " I was distracted." Cody shook his head and opened a bottle of aspirin that was sitting on his kitchen counter. He really didn't want to know what is brother found so distracting.

Zack raised his eyebrows at Cody as he walked by him on the way to get himself a quick cup of coffee. He really didn't get much sleep last night and he knew that without caffeine he would not make it through their lunch date. " Got a headache?" There was a hint of playfulness in his voice.

Cody placed the aspirin in his mouth and followed it with a swig of water. "The worst."

" You know," Zack pointed out as he took a sip of coffee - the hot liquid slowly trickling down his throat and instantly warming up his insides - " for someone who is supposed to be a genius, you're not that bright. I mean, I would have thought that after a couple of times of making a fool of yourself and waking up with a killer hangover you would realize that you and alcohol just don't mix."

" Thanks," Cody replied sarcastically. " I feel _so_ much better now."

" I aim to please." Zack gave him a wink. " Oh, by the way I ordered a breakfast this morning and charged it to your account."

Cody scowled slightly. " Zack, how many times do I have to tell you that me working for Tipton Industries does not give you permission to take advantage of Wilfred's hospitalises?"

" One more time?" Zack asked, giving him a cheeky grin, as he placed his empty coffee cup in the sink.

Cody rolled his eyes and then frowned slightly. " Why did you order breakfast anyways? We're going to lunch, remember?"

Zack just opened the door to the hall and indicated with his hand for his brother to go first.

When they were both in the hall Cody suddenly turned around and glared. "You spent the night with Anna again, didn't you?"

" Why do you always give me that look?" Zack asked, ignoring Cody's question.

" What look?"

" The one that says ' I am highly disappointed in you, Zackary Thomas Martin.'"

" You're sleeping with a women who is a committed relationship," Cody pointed out in a tone that matched the look he was giving his brother.

" Well, it's obviously not that committed." Zack pointed out as they headed down the hallway towards the elevator.

" Zack," Cody let out a huff as he pressed the down button for the elevator, " this is not the time to joke. I'm serious. What you are doing is unhealthy."

The elevator door opened and they both walked in. Zack pressed the button that took them to the lobby. " I'll keep that in mind Dr. Phil." There was a hint of bitterness in his tone.

The door closed and there was a brief moment of silence. Then Cody let out a sigh. " Look, I'm not trying run your life Zack. Really I'm not. You're an adult," he paused for a second, thinking this over, " well….legally you're an adult. Mentally? That's up for debate."

Zack rolled his eyes. He had heard many times before. " You're point?"

" Right," Cody cleared his throat. " You are an adult and perfectly capable of making your own decisions. I'm just concerned, that's all ." He let out a sigh. "Anna's husband is quite a powerful man, you know, and if he found out about his wife's ' extra curricular activities', you are as good as a dead man."

Zack just nodded solemnly. He was fully aware of the risks that he was taking, but they didn't seem to phase him. He was willing the take the chance.

" You know, there is more to a relationship then great sex."

Zack frowned at his brother. " I am fully aware of that." He was glad that his brother cared so much about him, but sometimes he just wanted to shut up and mind his own damn business.

" Really? Because honestly, I don't think you are." The elevator door opened and Cody left his brother to ponder that for a moment.

A few seconds later Zack ran after his brother. He really was not in the mood to evaluate his lack of a 'real' relationship. " Hey, Codes. Wait up." Cody slowed down his stride and Zack caught up to him. " Let's not something so stupid ruin our lunch, okay?"

Cody pondered this for a moment then gave him a small smirk to let him know that there was no hard feelings. The two of them walked side by side into the restaurant. They were greeted by Patrick who lead them to a table where their parents were already waiting.

As soon as Kurt saw his sons he got up out of his chair. " Hey Zacko." He gave Zack a big hug.

" Hey dad, good to see ya."

" Codester." He attempted to also hug Cody, but the younger man stuck out his hand so it could be shaken. Kurt gave his son a strange look for a spilt second and then shook it.

Cody nodded in acknowledgment. " Dad."

The three of them sat down and Patrick rushed over to take their orders. "The usual, Mr. Martin?"

Cody gave Patrick a small nod. " Yes, thank you Patrick."

Zack had to shake his head slightly. He still could not get over the fact that Patrick - or anyone else that worked at the Tipton for that matter- called Cody Mr. Martin.

Patrick turned to Zack. " And for you, sir?"

Zack resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Cody may be used to the idea of being treated like some important gentleman, but Zack most definitely wasn't. "Patrick, you know you can call me Zack."

" Zack?"

" I'll have a steak, medium-rare with a baked potato. And a bud lite." Zack swore he saw Patrick's lips twitch into a rare small smile. Cody just rolled his eyes.

Patrick left with their orders and Kurt glanced over at his son's apologetically. " Sorry I missed yesterday boys, I really am."

" That's okay," Cody replied with a slight frown. He had learnt a long time ago that his father often ran on his own schedule. But it still sadden him a tiny bit.

Zack noticed his bother's small mood change so he put an arm around his shoulder and gave him a gently encouraging squeeze. " That's to bad, dad. You missed one hell of a party, didn't he Codster?"

Cody gave him a playful glare. He knew that Zack was trying to lighten up the mood. Carey didn't take Zack's comment so light heartedly. " Well Cody , perhaps you should take it a little bit slower next time."

" Mom!"

Zack stifled back a laugh. He rather enjoyed watching his mother still treat Cody like reckless teenager - particularly since he was now a successful business man and never really was reckless when he actually was a teenager.

"I'm just saying, you were pretty drunk last night."

" Oh, come on Carey, Cody's 25, not 16." Kurt shook his head at his ex-wife. Even now she was still protective of her boys.

Carey let out a small sigh. " I know, I know. I'm just having a hard time getting used to the fact that my boys are grown men now."

Kurt put his arm around his ex-wife. " I know. It's hard for me too. But, it's just something that we have to get used to. "

Zack eyed his dad suspiciously. In his opinion the only reason his dad might be upset about them growing up was the fact that they now surpassed him in there level of maturity.

Carey dabbed her eyes with her napkin and then nodded. " You're right."

Both Cody and Zack shook their heads. Sometimes their parents could be too much.

" So, Zack, do you work tonight?" Carey asked her older son - after she had gained her composure - as their food arrived.

" Nope. This afternoon, I'm actually going to go home, plant my butt on the couch and… what the hell is that?" Zack raised an eyebrow at his brother's plate.

" Oyster á La Champagnoise" Cody replied in a tone that suggested that what he was eating was as normal and " American" as a hamburger.

"Huh?"

" Oysters covered with a sauce made of champagne."

Zack wrinkled his nose. " That's your usual?"

" Only on Wednesdays." Cody used a spoon to scoop an oyster out of it's shell and placed it on his plate. He carefully cut it in half and then eat a piece.

Zack screw up his face in disgust. " What do you mean, ' only on Wednesdays'?"

Cody swallowed his oyster and then took a sip of his water. " Well, on Mondays I usually have a nice Chicken, Thyme, Shallot Casserole. And on Tuesdays Chief Palo makes an excellent Melted Foie Gras…"

" Okay, okay, I get it. But…still? Oysters?"

Cody shrugged his shoulders. " They're quite good. Want a bite?"

Zack gave his brother a you-cannot-be-serious look. " No."

" Your loss."

Zack turned his attention back to his mother. " As I was saying, no I don't work tonight. But I do every other night this week. "

" So then I guess you won't be able to go to that dinner party Mr. Tipton invited us to on Saturday."

" What party?" Zack asked as he took a bite of his steak.

" Oh I don't know," Carey shrugged her shoulders. " One of Mr. Tipton's associates is hosting a luncheon and he invited us to come along. What's the guy's name again, Cody?"

Cody gave his brother a quick smirk before answering his mother's question. "Jon Harrington."

Zack began to choke on his steak. Cody gently tapped him on the back until he stopped coughing and then passed him his glass on water. " Thank, man."

Kurt and Carey eyed their son suspiciously. " Do you know Mr. Harrington, Zack?"

Zack shook his head. " Nope. Never meet the guy. I have no idea who he is."

Kurt clapped his son on the shoulder. " Riiiiiight. You have _no_ idea who he is."

Zack pushed his dad's off. " Honesty dad. It's just a coincidence that I choked right after Cody said his name." He gave Cody a pleading look, asking for help.

" That's right, dad, Zack has never met Jon."

Zack nodded at his brother in thanks and the took a big swig of his beer. _Thank god I have to work that night._

" Well, you should try to get the night off. I think it might be fun."

_Fun? _Zack shook his head at his mom. " I don't think I will be able to."

" Just try."

Zack sighed. " Okay, mom. I'll try."

Carey smiled and then leaned over to ruffle his hand. " That's a good boy."

Zack just stared down at his plate and tried to ignore his brother's snicker. Make a note, he thought miserably as he took another bit of his steak, next time you decided to have an affair with a married women make sure you pick someone whose husband doesn't hold fancy parties your family might be invited to.

**Okay, so what do you all think? I am really like this story and I can't wait to share more of it with you. As always, reviews are most appreciated. **


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter was inspired a couple of episodes of Third Watch and Dawson's Creek. Zack's job was inspired by TSLOD episode called " In the Line of Duty" **

**There are two Dawson's Creek references in this chapter and virtual bratwurst for anyone who can find them. **

**Thanks for the reviews. And congrats to Elianna22 for getting the Dawson's Creek reference in chapter 1. **

"…so I told her that I had a heart stripe, making me unable to do a lot of strenuous physical labour for long periods of time. Then she made Cody go shopping with her," Zack said with a smirk as he grabbed an empty cup from the pile and began to fill it with coffee. It had become some what of a tradition for Zack - and his partner Vincent Waldner- to stop at Werner's Deli ( a small family owned German bakery/ butcher/ convince store) at the start of their 3-11 shift. About three months ago Werner's daughter Judith had come back from lunch and discovered that 40 pounds of meat had been stolen. She called the police, and Zack and Vince had showed up, trying very hard not to laugh as she retold her side of the story. It turned out, the son of one of Werner`s customers had a habit of picking up stray dogs and keeping them in his garage. Apparently he didn`t have enough dog food ( or money to buy more) and came up with the `bright` idea to give them an `all meat diet`. It was definitely one of the most bizarre cases that Zack and Vincent ever worked, but it did come with perks. Since then Werner has been giving them a sample of whatever Judith or his wife happen to be baking that afternoon and occasionally even a small package of bratwurst. Today it looked like they would getting some ginger snaps.

Vincent shook his head and chuckled slightly. He always found the stories about Zack and his brother's teenage years amusing. " Okay, let me see if I got this straight. You told London Tipton that you have a heart stripe and she believed you?" he asked as he filled up his own coffee.

" Yep."

Vincent frowned as he grabbed his coffee and headed towards the check out counter. "What the hell is a heart stripe, anyways?"

Zack shrugged his shoulders as he followed his partner and placed his coffee on the counter beside Vincent`s. Vincent glanced down at it and rolled his eyes. Zack often mooched his coffee off of him, but in all honesty he didn`t mind. Besides, Zack usual ended up paying for dinner. " I don't know. I made it up."

" You made it up? Why?" Vincent handed the young boy behind the counter money and the boy handed him a paper bag with cookies in in.

" See you tomorrow, Officers."

" Yeah, thanks." Vincent grabbed the bag and Zack grabbed the coffees.

Zack resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his partner as they walked out of the store and down the street towards their parked car. " Haven't you been listening to anything I've been saying? I did it so I could get out of shopping with London."

" Oh come on, it can't be that bad." Vincent unlocked the doors and they both got in - Vincent in the driver's seat. Despite having never been in an accident, Zack still had the tendency to take corners a little to sharp and be very heavy on the gas peddle. Vincent supposed that this wasn't necessarily a bad thing when it came to high speed purists, but still he preferred to be in control of the vehicle and rarely allowed Zack to drive.

" Are you kidding me? Have you ever been someone's personal baggage carrier?"

Vincent nodded as he pulled onto the street. " Yeah, sure. I carry the wife's bags all the time when I go shopping with her."

" Yeah, but does she have a limitless credit card, a HUGE shoe fetish and the personal belief that you can never wear an outfit more then once?"

" Well….no…"

Zack pointed his finger at Vincent. " Exactly. I rest my case."

Vincent shook his head slightly. " You know, I still can't get over the fact that you are good friends with London Tipton."

Zack rolled his eyes. " And I still can't believe that chicken of the sea is actually fish."

Vincent raised his eyebrows.

" I know, I know, sarcasm is not good for me. It's full of _negative _energy. " He rolled his eyes again. " But seriously Vince , you of all people should know how I feel about people's obsession with the fact that I'm friends with London Tipton, or that I was Little Little's roommate, or that Hannah Montana once ate cake off my shirt."

" Hannah Montana ate cake off your shirt?"

Zack waved his hand dismissively. " Don't ask. The point is, I've known London since I was 12 and we've been through a lot of shit together. We even kissed once," he paused for a moment as if reminiscing and then suddenly screwed up his face, "which was really awkward. Anyways….wait stop here," the car suddenly stopped, " now back up a bit."

Vincent put the car into reverse and backed up until the front of their car was level with a back alley they had just passed. " Do see that?" Zack nodded his head in the direction of a teenage boy tagging the side an old apartment building.

Vincent nodded. " Didn't I tell that punk last week that if I caught him defacing public property one more I was going to kick his ass?"

Vincent nodded again.

" Well, in the words the highly amusing Russell Peters," Zack began as he unbuckled is seat belt, turned to face his partner and waved a finger in his face, "'someone's gonna get a hurt real bad.'"

Vincent let out a low whistle. " _Oh, yeah_."

Zack gave him a quizzical look. " I was just kidding, Waldy. I'm not going to hurt the kid. Just give him a good talking to."

" Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that if I was you."

Zack raised his eyebrow. " And why is that?"

" Just turn around." Vincent looked as if he was on verge of bursting into laughter.

Slowly Zack turned around - slightly worried and confused about what his partner was laughing about. The teenager was now working on the last part of his masterpiece and had moved out of the way just enough for Zack to read what the message said. FUCK U OFFICER MAR- " Son of a bitch!"

The look on Zack's face caused Vincent to lose it and begin to laugh.

Zack turned to glared at him. " It's not funny."

" It is a little."

Zack shook his head. " No, it's not. Stop laughing."

Vincent took a second to gain his composure, then cleared his throat and gave Zack an apologetic smirk. " Okay fine, Zacky, it's not funny."

Zack scowled at the use of his rather childish nickname, opened the door and got out . He must have slammed the door a tiny bit to loud because the boy turned around, and upon seeing the cops, took off running.

" Oh you better run!" Zack yelled as he took off after the boy.

Vincent quickly got out of the car and shouted after his partner. " Zack….Zack, come back here. We have a protocol…" he trailed off when he realized that Zack probably couldn't hear him anyways. He let out a sigh. _Here we go again. _

………………………………

* * *

" We put all our top stock brokers on it, and still he won't budge," Ryan Wilgosh , one of Tipton Industries top financial advisors, pointed out. Mr. Tipton, Cody and five other men who were high up in the company, were in the middle of a deep discussion about Eric Fadden - a wealthy old man who rarely invested his billions. If Mr. Fadden actually invested in your stock, other buyers took it as some sort of sign. In others words he was someone you most definitely wanted on your side.

Wilfred Tipton shook his head at the older gentlemen and frowned. " I can't have that Ryan. We will jut have to try harder."

" But, there is no one left sir."

Mr. Tipton glanced over at Cody who was busy taking notes. " Mr. Martin?"

Cody glanced up from his notes. " Yes, Mr. Tipton, sir?"

" Have you ever talked to Eric Fadden?"

Cody shook his head. " No, sir, I haven't"

Mr. Tipton turned to glare at Ryan. " I see. And do you think if given the chance you would be able to convince Mr. Fadden that he needs to invest in my company?"

Cody sat up a little bit straighter. " Yes, sir, most definitely. It's all about knowing what type of person your client is."

Mr. Tipton grabbed the phone and a file folder from the center of the table and handed them to Cody. " Why don't you give him a call?"

Cody tried to hide the fact that his heart was pounding a million beats a second. He could not believe that Mr. Tipton would actually allow him to make such an important phone call. He dialled the number and took a huge breath. The conversation started off a little bit rough, but he found that the more he spoke the more confident he felt. And pretty soon he found himself actually getting caught up in the rush of having the upper hand. " …. and I hear you Mr. Fadden. When my father needed an open heart, I didn't even touch my savings. He got himself into that mess, he can get himself out, right?" Cody didn't like lying to the guy, but he knew that he needed to make some sort of a connection with the man if he wanted this to work out. " Well, look you and I are both very busy men and if you don't want to hear about this stock today that's fine by me , I'm just going to call one of our more active buyers."

He paused to hear what Mr. Fadden had to say. "Well yes, the packet of information that my company has sent you is definitely worth taking a look at. But it is nothing compared to what landed on my desk this morning." Cody glanced around the room and took notice of the fact that every face was on him. "But look you and I, we both know, you are not one of our more active buyers. So if you are not interested that's fine by me, just tell me right now, okay, and spare me the niceties because I am not your prom date. I'll just call my other guy. I mean I made him 50 grand last week I'm pretty sure he'll be happy to take my call, right?"

He felt a tiny bit of shock when Mr. Fadden told him he might be interested in hearing more. "Okay, so here's the story. The buyers in the market are playing it pretty close to the vest right now, but when they wake up in the morning they're going to be kicking themselves, literally, because the buying price on this stock will have doubled. And if you get in right now, Eric, the sucker down the street, he's never going to know the joy you know, because by getting in early you made 10 times the profit he did. And that's something you'll be able to rub in his face every time you pick up your paper" Cody could barely contain his excitement when Mr. Fadden actually agreed with him and said he was convinced and going to invest. " I knew you were a smart man the second you picked up the phone Eric…uh….let me just put you through to my assistant and… uh… you can give her all your information. It has been a pleasure doing business with you." He press the button which transferred the call, hung up the phone and let out a huge breath. Then he pinched himself and jumped slightly when it hurt. No, this was not a dream. He just got one of the toughest clients in the business to invest money in Tipton Industries .

" And that, gentlemen, is why this young man may one day take over my company," Mr. Tipton beamed.

Cody had never felt more elated in his life then he did in this moment.

* * *

" Honey, grab your coat. Tonight we celebrate!" Cody practically skipped into his suite and bombarded Bailey, who was on the couch reading a book.

She glanced up at her fiancée and chuckled. He always looked so damn cute when he got excited. The look on his face reminded her of when they were teenagers and he got excited over discovering a new type of sea plankton that was on the side of the ship or when he perfected his new recipe for black forest cake . The last time she had seen him like this was when Harvard offered him a 3 million dollar research grant to study string theory. " What's the occasion?" She placed her book on the small table beside the couch and walked over to him.

" I closed Fadden."

Bailey frowned, slightly confused. " What's a Fadden?"

Cody chuckled. " Fadden is a person, sweetie. Mr. Fadden is one of the most stingiest, oldest, grumpiest billionaires that ever existed. And this afternoon, I convinced him to invest billions a dollars in Tipton Industries."

Bailey glanced up at him, still frowning. " And how did you do that?"

" I sold some bs line from an 80's movie, and he bought it. He would rather buy stock today and ask questions tomorrow, just as long as he is the richest guy on the block this week. "

Bailey's reaction was not the one he was expecting. " So you lied to an old man just so that he could invest money into a company that obviously doesn't need it?"

" What do you mean ' obviously doesn't need it'?" Cody found himself getting rather agitated about her tone and implications.

" Oh come on, Cody. The Tipton doesn't need anymore money."

Cody could not believe his ears. He thought that Bailey would be as happy as he was about this deal. Obviously he was wrong. " That's my job, Bailey. I make sure that the cash flow doesn't stop."

"Oh, so if you hadn't made this deal, then Tipton would have gone bankrupt?"

Cody scowled. " That's not what I said. You're putting words in my mouth."

" And you're putting more emphasis on making money then you are on your happiness, or anything else for that matter."

" What the hell are you talking about?"

Bailey shook her head sadly. He really couldn't see what was going on. "When you walked through that door you were happier then you've been in a long time."

" Yes I was," he said with a slightly sarcastic voice, annoyed that she wasn't getting to her point.

" But were you happy because you impressed your boss? Or were you just happy because of the big bonus you'll be getting on your next pay check?" She knew that was probably a little bit harsh. But at this moment she didn't care. He needed to see the bigger picture.

" I don't care about the money, you know that."

She gawked at him. " Oh yeah, really?" She lifted up her left hand and showed him her engagement ring. " Cody, this costs more then my parent's farm."

" You weren't complaining when I gave it to you," he snapped

Bailey was taken aback by his sudden lash out. She could not believe they were having this conversation. He wasn't the man she had agreed to marry. He had become a totally different person the moment he got his promotion at work and it was tearing her apart. " You're such an idiot. When you asked me marry you, I said yes because I love you. Not because you bought me a very expensive ring. What did you want me to do, make you bring it back?" She glanced down at the ring and then took it off. - fiddling with it in her hands. " I wear this ring because it shows the world that I'm yours. But it feels wrong, Cody. I feel fake when I wear it. I'm not cut out for the life styles of the rich and famous. "

Cody glanced down at her hands and the ring and frowned. He had no idea she felt this way. " Babe, I…I…" He was at a loss of words.

" You need to stop thinking about all the money your making and start remembering that what you have is worth so much more." She let out a sigh. " I just want the Cody I feel in love with to come back." When Cody didn't respond, Bailey shook her head sadly and then walked out of the room. She wasn't going to end their engagement because of this, but she wasn't going to back down either.

And Cody just watched her leave, marvelling at how fast it took for him to go from feeling on top of the world to feeling like he was at the bottom of the pile.

* * *

" I swear to God, Walsh, if you blame my mood on the fact that it's my 'time of the month' one more time, I will cut off your favourite appendage and fed it to my dog." Lacey Davis's voice could be heard all the way into the locker room, despite the fact that she was still in the hallway and the door was closed.

Zack let out a low whistle. " Somebody's getting their ass chewed."

Vincent just nodded in agreement. They were getting ready to go home after just ending their shift.

Moments later the door to the locker room opened and in walked an irrigated looking Jason Walsh. " That bitch," he cursed as he opened his locker with a slam.

Zack smirked and Vincent shook his head at him. " Don't do it man, don't do it."

Zack kept his look innocent. " Do what?' He walked over to Walsh. " So, having trouble with your old lady, are ya?'

Vincent groaned. _What the hell is he doing? _Walsh's problems with his partner were none of Zack business. But Zack liked a good story, and Jason liked to complain.

" She's just pissed, that's all." Zack raised an eyebrow and waited. He knew that Walsh was moments away from blabbing the whole story. " Okay, okay, so I may have had sex in the back of the squad car yesterday. But still, she doesn't have to get that mad."

" Wait, you had sex in the back of your squad? In the middle of the shift?" Zack couldn't contain his shock. Even he wouldn't stooped that low.

" In front of Davis?" Vincent asked, a hint of disgust in his tone.

Walsh shook his head. " No, not in front of Davis." He sighed. " Look, Lacey just had to go see Amber in the school play, okay. So I agreed to drop her off at the school and wait in the parking lot . She said she would only be about an hour. And I got bored. And then this really hot chick knocks on my windows. It turns out she was just as bored as I am. So basically…we..uh….we entertained each other."

" And then Lacey come out and caught you?"

" No, she was long gone before Davis came back."

" So then how did Davis find out? You weren't stupid enough to tell her, were you?" Zack let out a small chuckle. He wouldn't put it past Walsh to have done something like that.

Walsh glared at him. " No I didn't tell her. Now shut up if you want to know the rest." Zack just nodded and Walsh continued. " Anyways, last night Adams and Cross had a perp who apparently lost their watch in the back of the squad. And while they didn't find the watch, they did find…my uh…used condom."

"Dude," Zack screwed up his face in disgust, " No, so not cool."

" It was in the wrapper."

" Still…..no….just no…"

Walsh rolled his eyes. " The point is, Adams and Cross went crying to mommy and daddy. And now Davis is pissed at me because she got a jacket for going to see Amber in the school play without getting authorization."

Vincent raised an eyebrow. " Hold on, you screw some random chick in the back of your squad and your partner gets a jacket? That seems a little but unfair to me."

" I got a month behind a desk."

Zack grinned and slapped Walsh on the back. " Hope that goes well with you." Working behind the desk - spending many monotonous hours filling out forms - was pure torture for a beat cop, who was used to the rush of actually working the street. A whole month was going to feel like a trip through hell.

Walsh scowled at Zack and then stalked off towards his locker.

Vincent rolled his eyes and shook his head. " They should just sack him."

"No!" Zack's answer caused Vincent to give him a quizzical look.

" No?'

" If they get rid of Walsh then I'll be back on the bottom the totem pole. I take great comfort in the fact that no matter how much I screw up, he's done worse."

Vincent snorted. " You should bring that up with Davis. I bet she would _love_ to hear your opinion on the matter."

As if on cue the locker room door opened once more and in marched Lacey Davis, followed by the Captain Michael McNally. Davis went to her locker, ignoring her partner completely.

The Captain cleared his throat and the whole room went silent. " I know that you all are in hurry to go home and get some needed shut eye, so I'll make this quick." He paused momentarily before continuing. " As you may already know, at 17:30 this afternoon a couple of our men were involved in a raid at the house of known gang leader " Johnny the Ripper". During that raid Chad Obie was shot in the femoral artery." Zack winced. He didn't know much about anatomy , but he knew enough to know that this was serious. " Luckily, we had buses stationed just down the street and he was rushed to the OR. All we know at the present time is that at the moment he is in surgery. I will try to keep you all updated as quickly as possible." He paused for a moment and then let out a sigh. Captain McNallly could be a strict man, but he cared deeply for every man and woman in his department, and when something happened to one of them it worried him sick. " That's all." Everyone went back to their business, the room buzzing with a low murmur as everyone began to discuss the news of their injured comrade. "Oh, Martin can I see you for a moment?"

Vincent nudged Zack in the ribs and gave him a questioning look. Zack just shrugged his shoulders and headed over to the Captain. " Yes sir? Is something the matter?"

McNally shook his head. " No, oh, no. Just a slight change in your shift schedule, that's all. I need you to pull a double tomorrow. Jimmy Fisher is sitting an exam for his Special Ops class on Saturday and he specifically asked if he could have the night before off. He'll pick up your shift."

Zack just nodded as the Captain turned to leave. But in his head he cursing the fates. Of all the nights he was getting off, it had to be the night of Anna's husband's party. On top of that, he would be working a 16 hours shift just before.

Zack walked back to his locker and lightly banged head against the door.

Vincent frowned at his partner. " What's up with you? Did you get a jacket or something?" Vincent knew that Zack already had a fair amount of jackets and really couldn't afford many more. It wasn't that he was bad at his job, really, it was more of the fact that he tended to have slight authority issues and liked to rush into things. They didn't call him "Zack Attack" for nothing.

Zack shook his head. " No, I'm not in trouble. I just have to work a double tomorrow, that's all. Those always end up being a bitch. Plus I have to go to some stupid dinner thingy right after. But whatever. I'll deal."

" Whose shift are you covering?"

" Jimmy Fisher's" Vincent groaned. " Are you serious? I have to work with Fisher? He's such an arrogant prick.- always bragging about the fact that he is trying for Special Ops. I think I would almost rather work with Walsh."

" Bite your tongue." Zack said in a serious voice, causing Vincent to laugh and clap him on the back. " You know kid, you may a punk sometimes, but you're such a riot. And a good cop. I am glad that you're my partner."

Zack smiled slightly. It felt good to be appreciated.

" So, uh, shall we go to the hospital and check up on Obie?" Vincent asked as he closed his locker. Although both he and Zack didn't know Obie personally, Zack had gone to the academy with his partner, Eddie Memering.

Zack nodded. " Yeah. Eddie is probably freaking out right now. It might do him some good to see a familiar face. That's pretty serious, what happened to Chad."

Vincent shook his head solemnly. " Yeah, poor bastard. And to top it all off he's all alone."

" What do you mean?"

" Well, his wife his left him and his parents are long gone. And I think he has a brother in LA, but I don't think they keep in touch. Could you imagine, waking up from surgery only to discover that nobody missed ya, nobody really cared? I mean, sure Eddie cares about him, but it's not the same. I don't what I would do if something happened to me and my Lisa didn't come to see me."

Zack didn't know how to respond.

After a moment of silence Vincent clapped him on back. " Come, let's go."

Zack nodded solemnly and followed his partner out of the locker room.

**Wow…that was a lot longer then I intended it to be. Anyways, something about that whole section involving Cody bothers me, but I can't put my finger on it, so I just left it. **

**Reviews would be lovely **


	3. Chapter 3

**YAY CANADA * claps hands enthusiastically is a London like fashion* Congrats to the Canadian Olympians who were a kick ass home team at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and for winning 14 Gold Medals, making that the most Gold Medals ever won at an Olympics games. **

**Okay, in this chapter there is a reference to TSLOD episode "Shipnotized" which is one of my all time favourite episodes and also a small reference to the episode where Zack dates Becky ( the girl on the wrestling team) to avoid getting his ass kicked. I can't for the life of me remember what that episode is called, but whatever. As always there is a Dawson's Creek reference in this chapter, but it's not as big as the one in my last chapter. Thanks to Waldojeffers and Elianna22 for the suggestions which caused the wheels in my head to turn and inspired some scenes in this chapter. The quote that Zack remembers at the beginning of this chapter is actually the opening paragraph of the story that I wrote for my grad 12 English Provincial Exam ( which ironically was inspired by a story in a real life cop book) **

**I am also taking a leaf from Ellie's book and writing the date and time at the beginning of each scene because I came to realize that it may become confusing ( particularly when Zack has odd hours at work and often comes home the next day) On Wikipedia it stats that the twin's birthday is in September and a Saturday. I looked it up and that would mean their b-day was the 4th****, 11****th****, 18****th**** or 25****th****. By some weird chance I said that the twin's 25****th**** birthday was on a Tuesday, making is also either the 4****th****, 11****th****, 18****th**** or 25****th****. ( Yes, I am just that good at guessing…lol) I decided to make their birthday the 18****th****. So to bring you up to date, the 1****st**** chapter starts Wednesday September 19****th**** 2018 at 11:37am and ends sometime around 12:45pm . The 2****nd**** chapter begins Thursday September 20****th**** around 3:15pm. Cody's work scene is around 3:30pm and his argument with Bailey is around 6pm. The last scene is around 11:30pm. **

**Warning: The following program contains angst!!! ( but also some more lighter moments) **

**Friday, September 21st 2018 6:05 am**

Despite it still being fairly early in the morning, Zack just wished that this day would already be over . Letting out a sigh he dug in his pockets for his keys and opened up the outside door to his apartment building. He stopped to grabbed his mail - his MasterCard bill, a birthday card from his grandmother and a couple of flyers - before stumbling up the stairs to the eighth floor. Not for the first time, he cursed himself for deciding to live on the eighth floor of a building with no elevator.

As he began the trek up the stairs he let his mind wander over the events of the last 6 ½ hours. Shortly after midnight he and Vincent had arrived at the hospital and discovered that only moments earlier the surgeon had told Eddie- who had been sitting in the waiting room pretty much alone for the last 5 hours - that despite their best efforts, Chad had died on the operating table. It hurt Zack deeply to see a man who had once been one of the toughest recruits at the academy look so worn down and broken. Despite not really knowing what to do or say, Zack found himself pulling Eddie into a hug and letting the man cry on his shoulder. The whole scene seemed surreal to him. Every police officer was aware of the risks that their job involved and that accidents did happen. But in the 2 ½ years since Zack started working for the 26th Precinct, this was the first time someone had actually died.

Zack and Vincent spent about an hour just sitting there with Eddie - letting him know that he really wasn't alone. But then he sent them home, pointing out that there really wasn't much they could do sitting there, besides deny that Chad was actually dead and stare at the posters on the waiting room walls.

But Zack didn't go home. Instead he found himself wandering the city in the wee hours of the morning, lost deep in thought. As he walked around aimlessly, he could not help but remember something his had once read in one of those books that was a collection of true cop stories. _"Every time you pin your badge to the front of your uniform- whether you are conscientiously aware of it or not- you are running the risk that you will bear witness to acts of brutality; spend many, sometimes nauseating, hours at a repulsive crime scene or tolerate exposure to all that is evil in human nature. But as a cop, you are semi-prepared for this. The emotionally withdrawn front - that shield- you put up early on in your career blocks the blows. But one day you discover- and some sooner then others- that your shield can't protect you from everything. And that you, just like every other benevolent human being, are not immune to such horrors." _Nope, he was most definitely not immune to the horrors of this cruel world. But, the fact that he knew he was taking for granted the truth about how quickly things could change form going great to becoming a living nightmare, was not what bothered Zack the most. What bothered him the most was that - despite being a respectable civil servant and a great man - Chad Obie had essentially been alone when he died. And Zack's mind could not stop playing out a scenario in which he was all alone on his own death bed. He knew that he was just being stupid . He did have a twin brother who thought the world of him, parents who would do anything for him and a partner who loved him like a younger brother . But still, he didn't have that special someone - that person whose whole world revolved around him. He didn't have a Bailey. He did have Anna, but her husband stood in the way of making their relationship one that most people would classify as real. This had been an issue for Zack for quite sometime now , but he never really knew how to bring it up. Beside, why ruin something that was going good for him - for the most part?

Time had slipped away from him as he lost himself in his thoughts and he was extremely surprised that it was already passed 6am by the time he arrived home. Never before had he lost track of time for 5 hours.

He let out a sigh of relief when he finally made it to his apartment door - the hike up the stairs seemed worse today then it normally did. Pushing open the door he could practically hear his bed calling his name -he was in desperate need of some sleep before he would have to go back to work and suffer through a 16 hour shift. But as soon as he shut his door and turned around he knew that this was not going to happen.

" Hey handsome."

_This is not happening. _Zack closed his eyes for a second and then reopened them. Nope, this was not a dream. Anna was most definitely sitting on his couch at just after 6 in the morning. Normally he didn't mind when she showed up. And actually, it should have occurred to him that she might do so, seeing as Jon was in Berlin until tomorrow morning. But in light of recent events it hadn't even crossed his mind. And at the moment all he wanted to do was fall into his bed and pass out.

" I wanted to surprise you after your shift last night, but you weren't home. So I…." she trailed off when she noticed that he wasn't really paying her any attention. " Is something the matter Zack?" She frowned as she got off the couch and walked towards him. It was not like Zack to just zone out.

Automatically he shook his head. He saw no need to explain everything that was going on. It was just easier to pretend that everything was just peachy. He threw his mail on his coffee table and then grabbed a spoon for the pile of clean dishes by the sink. Digging through his cupboards he found a chocolate pudding cup and began to eat it.

Anna raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything. She knew that Zack often ate pudding when he was upset or nervous. It was an odd habit of his, but one that she had picked up on over the years.

There was a moment of silence as Zack finished his pudding and then he let out a small sigh as he turn face her. His voice was barely a whisper when he finally talked. " If something happened to me - if I ever go hurt at work - would you be sad?" He hadn't intended on even asking her this question, but something told him that if he didn't bring it up now he never would. He blamed it on fate. Why else would Anna be in his apartment the same morning he spent so many hours fretting over - among other things - the issues in their relationship?

" What kind of question is that, Zack?" She sounded hurt. " Of course I would be upset."

He frowned slightly. He had half expected that answer. But that wasn't what he really wanted to know. " But, would you come and visit me in the hospital?"

She shook her head and let out a huff. " Don't do this to me Zack. You know I can't."

" Oh yeah, I forgot. You're married." The sarcasm in his voice made him wince. He didn't know what had gotten into him, but he suddenly felt the need to let out all his feelings on the subject. Even if they landed him in big shit.

" You knew full well that I was married when you started this relationship," she snapped back.

He nodded his head. " Yeah, I did. But I never intended for it to last this long. And I certainly didn't intended to fall in love with you. But I did."

" And that's somehow my fault?" She turned away from him slightly, regretting saying that the moment it left her mouth. She was really not in the mood to start an argument.

He was slightly taken aback by her comment, but felt compelled to plough on. "Yeah, maybe it is!" He paused for a moment. That actually didn't make much sense. How was is _her _fault that _he _feel in love? He groaned and ran his hands through his hair. " Oh, I don't what I'm talking about. It's just," he groaned in frustration, " look, you spend more time with me in a week then you do with him in a month. I mean, God Anna, when is the last you actually thought of him as your husband? Do you even have sex with him any more?"

" That's none of you damn business."

" Oh really? None my business? Great! Is any part of your life my business? Or am I just some guy you've been screwing for the last 3 ½ years because you were bored?"

The look on her face scared him, and for a moment he thought she might actually slap him. He didn't even think he would have tried to stop her if she did. He instantly knew that he had crossed the line and deserved whatever she dished out next. To his surprise her facial expression suddenly changed from one that was outraged to one that was pained as she let out a deep breath and shook her head slightly. " Are you even listening to what your saying?"

He was not expecting that. And the fact that she was relatively calm actually infuriated him more.

" What's wrong Zack?" She pleaded, desperate to know what the true cause for this outburst was.

Anna's question should have been a clue to Zack that perhaps he was more to her then some guy she was cheating on her husband with. But it seemed nothing was going to go the way it should this morning, and he found himself shouting at her. " NOTHING IS WRONG, ANNA. NOTHING!" He instantly felt sick in the stomach. He could not remember the last time he had suddenly lashed out a someone like this, particularly when that someone meant so much to him. Now more then ever he wished this day had never happened. " Damn it!" He leaned up against his kitchen counter and placed his head in his hands. He tried desperately to fight back the tears that were on the verge of falling, but he knew that any second now he was going to really lose it. And he didn't think he would be able to handle breaking down in front of her. Then again, was crying in front of her much different then what he was doing now?

After a moment he looked up, slightly surprised to still see her standing there- he had half expected her to just pick up her things and leave. She looked like she was at a loss of words. " Please, Anna, please," he practically begged, " just go home. Okay, I can't…I can't think right now."

There was a moment of silence - in which she just stared at him - before she nodded solemnly, grabbed her purse and left. The moment the door closed Zack slide down the side of the counter until he was sitting on the floor, pulled his knees to his chest and began to sob uncontrollably.

**Saturday, September 22****nd**** 2018 8:15am **

Despite his morning from hell, and the fact that the atmosphere at the 26th Precinct was dismal as news of Chad's death spread, Zack was surprised - and quite relieved- that his 16 hour shift was not as bad as he had predicated. After crying himself to near exhaustion, he got a well needed 5 hours of sleep before heading to work. During his regular shift Vincent actually allowed him to take a slow day and he was able to get cat naps here and there while his partner watched for wrongdoers. Also, it appeared that Boston like to misbehave and get rowdy on a Friday night and his night shift was rather busy, making the 8 hours go by fast.

But now that he was back at his apartment, and he actually allowed his mind to dwell on what had happened the previously morning and what might happen this evening if he didn't keep his emotions in check, Zack was starting to become quite anxious.

As he began to dig through his cupboards in search for something he could pass as breakfast, Zack noticed that his answering was blinking, indicating that he had a message. For a brief moment he wondered if it was Anna, trying to make sense of what had happened earlier. But then he remember that Jon would be coming home today and he knew that she wouldn't risk getting caught. Pressing play on his answering machine, he opened a box of Oreos and a jar of peanut butter, then planted himself on his couch to listen to his message.

_Hey buddy. I need to know if you__'re coming to the party tomorrow night. Call me as soon as you get this. _

Yesterday morning he had actually planned on not attending this dinner at all. But now that he and Anna were at odds, he had come to the conclusion that if he didn't show up she might think that he was upset with her. And while he had been upset that morning, he couldn't really blame it on her. He put down his " breakfast" and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. Checking the time, he reasoned that Cody was most likely up and dialled the first number on his speed dial. He whistled along with the ring on the other line as he waited for his brother to pick up. After the 3rd ring Cody answered.

" Finally decided to check you messages, have you?"

Zack rolled his eyes. " And a good morning to you too, my little brother . I'm going great, thanks for asking."

" Good morning, Zack."

Zack could hear the playfulness in Cody's voice and could not help but smirk. A little banter with his brother was just what he needed. " For your information I worked a double shift yesterday and I just got home."

"That must have sucked."

He shrugged his shoulders, despite his brother not being able to see him. " It could have gone worse."

" So, uh are you coming tonight?"

" Yeah, I guess." He found himself purposely trying to sound indifferent. But he knew he wasn't fooling anyone. " Where is it anyways?"

" At the St. Marks."

" The St. Marks?" Zack frowned. That was an odd place to hold a party when Mr. Tipton was one of your guests.

" Yeah, I know. It's stupid. But apparently, Jon is Todd St. Marks 2nd cousin, or something like that. So he booked his party there."

" Okay whatever." Zack really had no interest in the politics revolving around the lifestyles 'rich and fabulous'.

" So what are you doing?"

" Getting my daily dose of protein." He was surprised at how calm and 'normal' he felt at this moment, considering how moody he had been yesterday. It never ceased to amaze him how quickly people's emotions changed.

Zack could almost see the confused look forming on Cody's face as he contemplated what his brother had just said. " You're having steak for breakfast?"

" No. Peanut butter. With Oreo cookies."

Cody sighed. " You know, if you keep this up you're going to end up just like Kirby."

" Hey! I surpassed Kirby a long time ago. While _he_ is still a lowly security guard on a cruise ship, _I _happen to be a member of the Boston PD."

" I meant in terms of weight."

Zack chuckled slightly. He rather enjoyed joking with Cody like this. " I know what you meant."

" Anyways…" There was a beep on the phone. " Look, I'm getting a call on the other line. See you tonight, around 6?"

" Yeah, yeah." Zack hung up and sighed. There was a time when Cody would have made him top priority and made the other person wait. But lately it seemed like business trumped family and friends. That was another issue that had been bothering him for some time. But - much like the issue revolving around Anna's husband- he wasn't sure how to bring it up. _Perhaps, I'll just have to wait for another emotional break down. _He shook his head at his own thoughts. He could be such a pessimist sometimes.

* * *

Cody rolled his eyes as he hung up his phone. _Isn't there anyone else that works for Tipton that knows how to make reservations? Must I do everything? _

He glanced around his empty suite and then at the clock. It was almost 9 o'clock and Bailey would probably already be at work. It had come to a shock everyone - including Cody- when Bailey dropped out of Yale after only completing one year towards her degree in Animal Science . As far as he knew it had been her life dream to go to an Ivy League school, and he could not fathom her logic behind quitting after all the work she did to get in. But, apparently she had an epiphany and decided that - although she loved learning and was most grateful for getting the opportunity to study at Yale - she didn't want to spend her life doing seemingly mind numbing research on chickens or pigs or whatever else she would studying after she finished her degree. Instead, she decided to go to Boston University and get a BS in organic chemistry, before applying for the department of Education. She was now in her last year in University and doing a practicum at Cheevers High. Despite not really being thrilled with her decision in the beginning, Cody had to admit that he kind of liked the idea of Bailey becoming a high school Chemistry teacher. And he was extremely proud of her for doing what she wanted to do, instead of doing what everyone expected her to do.

This morning Bailey had gotten up before him - something that was not unusual. But she had left without giving him a good bye kiss or even waking him up just to say that she was leaving. He knew that she was still upset about the deal that he made with Fadden. But he had no idea what she wanted him to do or how he was going to get back on her good side. The only thing he could think of was to quit his job. And he most definitely had not done all that hard work, just to throw it away.

**6:30pm**

" Ah, Wilfred. It's good to see you again," Jon Harrington said with big smile as he and Anna walked over to the table reserved for Mr. Tipton and his guests.

Wilfred stood up to shake his hand. " Likewise. You remember my Junior - Vince President, Cody Martin " He waved his hand in Cody's direction.

Jon nodded and shook Cody's hand. "I hear you are becoming quite the business man. I look forward to working with you."

Zack resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It was obviously that this whole situation was for show. Jonathon Harrington was such a cocky bastard. Of course, Zack had to admit he was slightly bias, but still. Wow, he thought as he took a sip of his champagne and stole a glance at Anna - who looked much like the perfect wife she was supposed to be as she stood there perched on Jon's arm- I'm such a hypocrite.

Zack watched as Mr. Tipton introduced Bailey to Jon - who took her hand and lightly kissed it. Bailey giggled slightly and Cody tensed. _Ah, trouble in paradise. _Zack found himself suddenly feeling uncomfortable and nervously began fidgeting with his napkin. His brother's obvious relationship problems reminded him of the fact that his own love life was not doing so hot at the moment. He glanced down, purposely focusing on making himself stop fidgeting.

Suddenly he got the odd feeling that all eyes were on him. He glanced up at the rest of the table, and upon realizing that Mr. Tipton was introducing him to Mr. Harrington, cleared his throat and stood up to shake Jon's hand. Anna and Cody's stares were almost intense enough to a burn a hole right through him, and he wondered briefly if anyone else at the table noticed their looks. " Sorry, I must have blanked out for a moment. It's nice to meet you sir." Surprising, he found himself feeling quite calm as he shook the other man's hand. He felt more nervous about what Anna was thinking about at the moment, as apposed to if her husband suspected their affair.

He sat back down waited rather impatiently as Jon and the rest of the table became acquainted. Finally Jon gestured to his wife. " And, I believe you all know my wife, Anna."

Cody nodded. " Yes, it's always a pleasure seeing you again, Mrs. Harrington. And thank you for attending our birthday celebration the other night. I hope you had a good time." A small smirk formed on his lips and Zack resisted the urge to kick him under the table.

She smiled at him back at him. " For the most part yes, I had a good time. And it's great to see you too Cody." She didn't even acknowledge Zack, and that caused to him feel slightly hurt. Sure, she probably didn't want to draw attention to the fact that her relationship with him was more then that of a casual acquaintance. But still, if she could be friendly to Cody, she could at least make some kind of sign that he existed. I mean, it was his birthday too, right?_ Wow, I am getting way to paranoid. _He took another sip of his champagne and watched as Jon and Anna walked away do go greet their other guests. Then he turned his attention to the conversation that was going on at the table between Mr. Tipton and Bailey.

" You must be very proud of Cody for making that deal with Fadden."

The look on Bailey's face confirmed to Zack that there was indeed trouble in his brother's so-called prefect relationship and that this deal with this Fadden person was most likely the cause. " That all depends, Mr. Tipton."

If he didn't know that Cody was genuinely at odds with Bailey, his brother's reaction would have caused Zack to laugh.

" Depends on what?" Mr. Tipton asked with a slight frown. As far as he was concerned, Cody deserved great praise.

" Well, where is this money going? Did Cody just convince Mr. Fadden put money towards a worthy organization? Or is he just paying for London's new yacht?"

Zack's eyes bulged slightly. _Someone's in a bitchy mood. _

Immediately Cody stood up and grabbed a hold of Bailey's arm. " Will you excuse us for a moment?" He lead her in the direction of the champagne fountain.

Zack glanced around at everyone at the table and sighed. Despite usually being the one to cause it, he hated awkward tension. " So….London, care to dance?"

" Huh?' She glanced up from her mirror. " Uh, sure."

He stood up and offered London his hand and together they walked to the middle of the dance floor.

"Sorry about Bailey," he apologized as he placed his left hand at her waist. He knew that although she looked like she wasn't paying attention, London had heard Bailey's remark.

She waved her left hand dismissively before grabbing his right hand. " It's not your fault. And I've heard worse. Besides, I probably deserved that, seeing as I was kind of mean to Bailey when were younger."

Zack raised an eyebrow as they began to dance. That was a very un-London thing for to her say. " Well, know, she probably wasn't even trying to make a stab at you, anyways. It's more likely that she aiming for Cody."

London gasped and let go of Zack. " I knew Bailey had a temper. But I never thought she would ever get mad enough to become violent. I am so glad she missed me. There is no way I would have been able to get the blood out of this dress."

Zack paused for a moment and then laughed. " Wow, London. Just when I thought perhaps you've changed, you say something like that." He smirked at her. " It's great to know that at least some things will always be the same."

She just shrugged her shoulders.

They kept dancing in silence for a couple of minutes. Zack actually felt at peace in London's arms. He reason that this was most likely due to the fact that he knew exactly were their relationship stood. And he liked this.

He glanced over London's shoulder and upon noticing Cody standing all alone by the champagne fountain, frowned. " You should go and dance with Cody, he looks rather pathetic just standing there all alone, " he said, nodding his head in his brother's direction.

London frowned. " But what about you?"

Zack shook his head as he watched Anna walked by. " Don't worry about me. I have something I need to take care of anyways."

She glanced over at Cody and nodded. " Yeah, he does look kind of down." She let go of Zack and headed over towards his brother.

Zack took a deep breath and headed in Anna's direction.

" Why are you at this party , Zack?" she asked as soon as he reached her.

He frowned at her tone. " Uh, I was invited."

She glanced around - to make sure that no one was listening- before she continued. " You know that's not what I meant."

" And what exactly did you mean?" He inwardly cursed himself. He just wished that everything could back to the way it was when he woke up on Wednesday morning.

" We are not having this conversation here," she hissed.

_What the hell am I doing here? _" Fine." He turned and walked away. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he did know better then to start a huge argument in front of everyone.

He stopped at the Tipton table - where Bailey was now sitting , trying to look like she was in a good mood. On the other side of table Mr. Tipton was having a conversation with his mother.

" Thanks for inviting me Mr. Tipton," he said as soon as there was a break in the conversation, " but I really should be going, I do have a long day tomorrow."

Mr. Tipton stood up to shake his hand. " Well, it's good to see you again."

Carey also stood up and frowned. " Off so soon?"

Zack shrugged his shoulders. " You know what they say, ' there's no rest for the wicked.' Unfortunately, that also means there is no rest for those who catch them."

She gave him a curious look, but didn't say anymore. She knew that if he wanted to tell her what was up, he would.

Zack leaned over to kiss his mother lightly on the cheek. " Bye mom."

" Yeah, see you."

Zack then turned Bailey, a sympathetic smile forming on his lips. Despite not really knowing the whole story behind Bailey and Cody rough patch, he did know that Bailey loved his brother dearly and that she was deeply upset. " Hey you, cheer up. Things will work out, trust me. And in case Cody forgets to tell you, you look absolutely gorgeous tonight." He gave her a quick peck on the side of the lips before turning to leave.

Zack let out a disheartened chuckle as soon as the doorman at the St. Marks opened the door for him and he caught a glimpse of the weather outside. Although the sun was still in the sky it was raining. _Wow, even the weather is confused today, _He thought sarcastically as he flagged down a cab.

" Zack."

The sound of his name being called caused Zack to quickly spin around. Standing a few feet behind him- using a newspaper as a makeshift umbrella - stood his brother. "Where are you going?"

" Home, Cody. Where I belong."

" Then I'm going with you."

Zack shook his head as he stepped into his cab. " What? No. Go back inside before you ruin your good suit." he called over his shoulder.

But it seemed Cody just wasn't go to take no for answer and he followed him.

" 305 Logan Ave," Zack told the driver before turning to glare at his brother. " What are you doing? You can't just leave the party." " And _you_ can?" Cody asked

" I'm not high up with those people. They don't worship the ground I walk on. They could care less if I was there. And I didn't just leave my fiancée, alone and upset."

Cody scowled, but didn't respond. Instead he turned to look out the window and watched all the people scurrying about, trying to get out of the rain.

It wasn't a very long cab ride and before Zack knew it he was once again trekking up the stairs to his apartment. Only this time he had a tail.

" You really should move," Cody said with a huff from two floors below. Zack chose to ignore him as he unlocked his door. He waited impatiently as Cody climbed up the last couple of flights of steps. Although he was in a irritating mood at the moment (again, he was amazed at how human emotions seemed to take on lives of their own) he wasn't going to make his brother sit in the hallway all alone.

" What the hell is your problem?" Cody asked his brother as soon as the apartment door was closed.

Zack said nothing as he headed for his pudding. _Keep this up and I will be as fat as Kirby_. He just shook his head and dug in the drawer for a spoon.

Cody sighed and sat down on the couch. He knew that eventually his brother would open up.

" Well, what the hell is your problem?" Zack fired back as he finished his comfort food and sat down in the recliner opposite the couch.

Cody frowned. He had not expected that. " What are you talking about?" He knew that Zack could see right through his question.

There was a moment a silence. And then both twins let out a sigh and said at the same time. " Women."

Zack to burst into laughter. " Wow, Cody, we suck at life." He shook his head at the situation.

That comment caused Cody to smirk. At least he knew that the Zack he knew and loved was still there, even if it was hidden beneath such a bitter front.

" Hey," Zack got up after he gained his composure, " would you like a beer?" It seemed that their common problem had broken the ice.

Cody nodded his head. " Yeah, sure. Why not?"

Zack walked over the fridge, grabbed a couple of beers, popped the tops and handed one to his brother.

Cody nodded in thanks and raised his bottle. " Cheers."

" Yeah, cheers."

They both took a sip.

Cody let out a sigh and placed his bottle on the coffee table. " Bailey pretty much thinks I'm an insensitive bastard who only cares about money."

Zack took another sip of his drink and slowly nodded. He kind of figured it was something like that. " Well, Anna is pissed off at me because I hinted the perhaps she should leave her husband." He frowned slightly after saying that . He knew it wasn't one hundred percent true.

Cody also frowned before taking another sip of his drink. " Zack, what's really wrong?"

_God, sometimes I hate the whole twin telepathy thing. _There really was no way to get around admitting the truth. Plus, he knew that deep down he had been waiting for this moment all weekend. " We….uh…lost a man the other day…"

Cody suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. Out of all the possible reasons for his brother to be upset, he never in a million years would have thought of that one. And suddenly, his own problems just didn't seem to be that big of a deal. " I….I'm sorry." he whispered, looking down at his hands. " Did you…..did you know him very well?"

Zack shook his head. " No, not really. But I went to the academy with his partner, Eddie Memering. Remember him?"

Cody nodded. Eddie and Zack had bunked together at the academy and had been quite the pair of trouble makers. Zack always said it was Eddie's fault, but Cody knew better then that.

Zack let out a sigh. " It's just….when he died….nobody, nobody was there. I mean Eddie was there and me and Vince. But not his family. And that….that really hit me, you know." He pealed the label off of his beer and began to roll it in-between his thumb and middle finger. " ….and I just kept thinking about how I was going to end up like that." He let out a breath. It felt good to get that off his chest.

Cody felt slightly hurt. " But, but you have me. And mom and dad. And everyone at your work."

" But, I don't have someone like Bailey."

Cody was at a loss of words. The only person he ever truly loved was completely committed him. He chose to just take another sip of his beer and let his brother keep on talking.

Zack shrugged his shoulders." I don't know, maybe I'm living in some kind of fantasy world, believing that she'll been there for me when things get tough. Believing that she would leave her successful husband for someone like me. But love is blind, right?"

Despite feeling sorry for his brother, Cody suddenly had the urge to reach over and hit Zack on the side of the head. To tell him that he was being an idiot. It was obviously to him that Anna was never going to leave Jon and that Zack needed to find someone who loved him fully, someone who was one hundred percent committed him. But Cody just couldn't bring himself to be so mean and forward. Instead, he chose to add a little humour to the situation, just to lighten the mood. " You know, you wouldn't have half these problems if you just bought yourself a blow up doll. Better yet, just go make out with on of those test dummies you have at work."

Zack gave his brother a confused look for a moment and then started to laugh. Cody raised an eyebrow. He hadn't been _that_ funny. ' I just thought of something," Zack said after a moment.

" Okay?" Cody was rather confused and not quite sure he wanted to know what him mentioning blow up dolls caused his brother to remember.

" Do you remember when we were like 9 or 10 - before we moved to the Tipton- and we were visiting dad for the weekend and you, uh, decided to take home that model head from the art department so you could get him to teach you the proper way to kiss a girl?"

Cody groaned. He hated these embarrassing trips down memory lane. " Hey, I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing."

Zack chuckled. " Yeah, well imagine my surprise when I walked into the living room to see you making out with this head."

Cody just rolled his eyes.

There was another moment of silence as they both became lost in their memories at more innocent and simpler times.

Suddenly Zack spoke up. " She is right, you know."

Cody frowned in confusion. " Anna?"

" No, Bailey. You kind of have been an insensitive bastard lately."

Cody narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything. He should have expected that. If they could bring up Zack's issues, why not bring up his?

" I don't know what I'm doing wrong," he admitted, slightly surprised that he was actually saying this. " I thought I was doing the right thing. I mean, I got a good job, one that I am good at. And I would never ever do something to hurt her. It just….oh I don't even know anymore."

" Cody, the problem isn't that you aren't doing good at your job, or that you are mistreating Bailey. The problem is that if you keep going in the direction you are going, you're going to become the next Mr. Tipton."

" But is that such a bad thing?"

Zack shook his head. " The fact that you are asking that question shows just how messed up this is. Do you really think it's alright to become like a man who is on his , like what, 20th wife? A man who missed seeing his daughter grow into the beautiful and wonderful women she is? Seriously, Cody you need to open up your eyes and take a look around."

Cody just sat their in silence. It all made sense when Zack said it. But this - like almost everything else in life- was a lot easier said then done. He shook his head at this thoughts. He was being stupid. If he loved Bailey, if he loved himself, then this had to stop. Regardless of how hard it was going to be.

Zack walked over and patted his brother on the back. " Like I said to Bailey earlier, this will work out, trust me. You two are meant to last. What you have is special"

Cody nodded - a small smile forming on his lips. " Yeah, yeah it is, isn't it?"

" I mean, if she didn't love you do you think she would have stuck around for 10 years? Or waited until _you_ were ready to lose her virginity? I don't think so." Zack pointed out as he went and sat back on his recliner.

Cody frowned for a moment- as if thinking something over - then raised an eyebrow at his brother. " Zack, who did you lose your virginity to?"

" What?"

" Who did you lose your virginity to?" Cody lifted his beer to take another sip.

Zack got back up from his chair and took Cody's drink out of his hand. " Me thinks you've had to much to drink."

Cody rolled his eyes. " Me thinks you're avoiding the question. And seriously Zack, one beer?"

Zack just shrugged his shoulders. " Why do you want to know anyways?" He sat down on the couch next to his brother.

" I don't know. I just realized that you never told me. I mean, I told you about my first time."

Zack screwed up his face, remembering that night. " Yeah, you bombarded me in the wee hours of the morning and practically gave me a play by play."

" I did not give you a play by play." Zack just smirked. Cody glared at him. " It was an important moment for me. I wanted to tell someone."

" Well, why didn't you go and tell Woody?"

Cody rolled his eyes at his brother. " Because Woody isn't my best friend or twin brother."

" Okay, fine, whatever. But I still don't know why I have to tell you."

" Come on, Zack. It was a long time ago. I'm just curious." Cody paused for a moment. " I bet it was Maddie."

Zack shook his head. " Nope, you're wrong."

" Really?"

" Yep," Zack nodded his head and frowned slightly. " Actually, to tell you the truth, I've never been with Maddie."

" Never?"

" Only in my dreams. And let me tell you, those were some pretty damn good dreams."

Cody stared at his brother for a moment, and then chuckled. " But, if it wasn't Maddie, then who was it?"

Zack let out an over exaggerated sigh. " Okay, okay, fine. If you must know, it was Olivia."

" Olivia?" The name rang a bell, but Cody couldn't quite place it.

" Mr. Havard's daughter Olivia."

Cody's jaw dropped slightly. " You're kidding right?"

" No."

Suddenly Cody's face lit up as he remembered something. " That totally explains your face."

" My face?"

" Yeah, the whole two weeks that they were on the ship you had the dumbest look on your face. And I couldn't figure out why. Now I know."

Zack winked at him. " Well, I'm glad I could be of some service."

Cody shook his head in amazement. " You are one sneaky bastard, aren't you?"

Zack grabbed his beer and raised it in the air to make a toast. Cody followed suit. " That I am little brother, that I am." They clinked bottles and downed the last drops of their drinks.

Zack grabbed the emptys and got off of the couch. " Want another?"

Cody shook his head. " Nope. If I came home drunk Bailey would be beyond pissed at me."

Zack nodded. " Yeah, I should probably to hit the sack anyways. I have a funeral to go to tomorrow."

Cody got off of the couch and walked over to his brother. " Hey, do you want me to come with you?"

" But, you didn't know Chad."

Cody placed a hand on Zack's shoulder. " If it's important to you, it's important to me. I just want you to know that you can count on me. No matter how much trouble you get into, okay?"

Zack nodded. " Yeah. Thanks man."

" No problem. That's what twin brothers are for."

Zack gave Cody his trade mark evil grin. " And here I thought they were doing all your dirty work."

Cody chuckled. " See you tomorrow then?"

" Yeah."

Cody turned to leave, but stopped just before he opened the door and turned to face his brother. " I love you, man." " I love you too."

**11:25 pm **

Bailey let out a sigh as she unlocked the door to her and Cody's suite. Not long after Cody had ditched her to follow his brother, she had decided to leave Jon's party and had crossed the street, hoping to find out that the twins had just gone to the Tipton. But neither of them were there.

So she took a cab and went to go visit of a good friend of her's from University. She and Sam had meet in first year Biology. Having both come from the farm and both having a great interest in science, they clicked instantly. Whenever Bailey had a problem she couldn't discuss with Cody, she went to Sam.

They had spent about 4 hours catching up and talking about her relationship with Cody. Although she already knew that Cody loved her deeply and wasn't purposely trying to make her life difficult, it was nice to hear it from someone else.

She paused the moment she closed the suite door. The whole front room smelt very….well, delicious. She wander in the direction of the kitchen. " Cody? Are you here?"

He appeared around the corner, dawning a flower print apron. The moment he saw her he rushed over to pull her in a big hug.

Instantly she knew that something had changed in his way of thinking. She wasn't quite sure how she knew, she just did. Plus he was cooking, which was something he hadn't done in a long time.

"Are you hungry?" He asked after he pulled away.

She nodded. " Starving."

" Good, because I made your favourite." He placed his arms around her waist and lead her towards the dinning room- which was all decked up.

And she couldn't help but smile. Yes, it there was going to be some rough patches and sometimes things just won't make sense, but Cody truly loved her, and that was all that mattered.

**Wow, I think that is the longest chapter I have ever written!!!**

**Ever have a scene that works out perfectly in your mind and then just doesn't seem to work out on paper? Well, that's how the dinner party scene was for me. **

**And speaking of that scene, I know that there was some hype about what was going to happen and then not much did happen. That was kind of the point. The purpose of that scene was to have Zack, Anna, Cody and Bailey all in a public setting at the same time so that the twins could observe each others behaviour. And I wanted Zack weekend to just suck. Also, I wanted to emphasis that usually when people get excited or anxious about something, it never turns out as good or bad as you think. And essentially Zack was freaking out for nothing, which he realizes in the middle, causing him to leave. **

**Anyways, enough rambling. **

**Reviews always put a big smile on my face. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, I re-read Chapter 3 and realize I left a tiny bit of dialogue out. It's not overly important, but I still felt like I should add it - so I re-posted that chapter. The bit I added is in the scene where Zack and Cody have a their heart-to-heart in Zack's apartment, just after Cody asks Zack who he lost his virginity to. You can go read it if you want to. **

**Anyways, I am sorry for the long wait for this chapter, but I was quite stumped on how to write some parts of it. I am so proud of myself for actually finishing this. This is by far the hardest chapter I have ever written. Thank-you so much Ellie for allowing me to bounce ideas off of you. Talking it out helped a lot. Also, Ellie, there is a tiny DC reference in this chapter for you to hunt for, which I will expand on in the next chapter. Also thanks to Wyntirsno for your suggestion revolving Cody. I liked your idea more then mine, so I used it. **

**A shout out to my good friend Reba Daly for allowing me to use your name. I hope you are satisfied with the way I exploited you **

**fanatic- esined - I like to personally reply to all of my reviews, but seeing as you have disabled PM I can't do that with you. So thank you very much for taking the time to read and review this story and "Fine Lines". And although I know this sounds cliché, I really really appreciate it. **

**I have noticed - depending on what you classify as swear words- that I use a fair amount of profanity in this story. That, along with a some what steamy scene in this chapter, is making me wonder if I should change the rating from T to M. What do you think?**

**I also noticed that there are quite a few OCs is this story and that there will be even more by the time it is done. But do not worry…you don't have to remember who most of them are. I just want to emphasize that the twins interact with other people beside those they grew up with. If a character is important they will become a regular ( like Anna and Zack's partner Vince). And if I reuse an OC from a previously chapter I will make sure to remind you of who they are and why I put them in this particular scene. **

**6 months later **

**Tuesday, March 12 2019 1:20pm**

" Oh come on, Zack. What happened to that rebellious, wild and slightly crazy teenager who once wreaked havoc in the halls of this very hotel? He would have jumped at the chance to call in sick and waste away the afternoon just lounging around and enjoying the company of a beautiful women, such as myself."

Zack rolled his eyes playfully as he climbed out of bed and began to get dressed. Although he knew it probably wasn't the most logical solution, and he also knew that his brother had not been impressed when he made the decision, Zack had decided to put the incident evolving Chad Obie's death behind him and continue his relationship with Anna. He had never before done this well - or been this long - with a women and he didn't want to ruin it by causing them to break up, then later regret his actions when he was all alone. At least now he was in some sort of a relationship. And besides, as the months passed he found it a lot easier to forget the frustration and misery he had felt that weekend. " He grew up."

She let out a small chuckle. " He may have gotten older, but somehow I doubt he did much growing up."

He turned around and - in a very child like manner - stuck his tongue out at her. She giggled. " Okay, so maybe I'm still a _little_ bit childish," he grabbed his shirt off a chair that was beside the bed and put it on, " but that doesn't change the fact that I have to go to work. And besides, I thought you had a plane to catch this afternoon."

She scowled slightly. " I do. But I would rather spend my time with you."

" You're going to Paris, for a week," he reminded her.

" Yeah, for my wedding anniversary."

He leaned over to kiss her lightly on the lips. " Don't be so negative. You never know, it could be fun."

She pouted her lips, causing him to chuckle slightly. Then she let out a annoyed sigh. " If spending time with Jon was fun, don't you think I would actually spend time with him."

_Wow, somebody's grouchy . _Zack frowned slightly as the meaning of this statement started to sink in. When he had met Anna almost 4 years ago, she had complained how Jon was useless, stupid and often cruel. But, Zack had long learned that perhaps her opinions were slightly bias. Yes, he did tend to expect others to do everything for him ( unless it was something that caused a big media hype - then he was all for it) and he wasn't the sharpest tool in shed sort a speak. And if not always following your ever demand and sometimes ignoring you was cruel, then the man was heartless.

But the fact that Anna may have been over exaggerated a bit had never really bothered Zack, until recently. He was starting to get the feeling that this relationship was merely one of convenience . _You're just looking for trouble, aren't you? Keep thinking this way and you are really going to screw things up. _Zack shook his head at his thoughts. He needed to practice what he preached and stop looking at things so negatively.

He grabbed his phone and wallet from the beside table. " Cheer up. And quite frowning, it'll give you wrinkles."

She rolled her eyes at him, but Zack swore he saw the side of her mouth twitch as he leaned in to give her a good bye kiss. " I'll see you in a couple of weeks, okay? And…" he gave her a mischievous smirk, " try not to have to much fun on your trip."

With that he took one more look around the room to make sure he had everything and then headed towards the door. As he opened the door to the hall he could not help but chuckle as he heard Anna grumble something that sounded an awful lot like ' cocky bastard.'

**5:45 pm **

" I am telling you , Waldy , this town is full of _hooligans, _just waiting to ruin my perfectly good afternoon." Zack pointed out as he opened up the passenger side door of the squad car and climbed inside.

" Hooligans?" Vincent entered the car and glanced over at his partner, slowly shaking his head. _Who the hell says hooligans?_

" Yes, hooligans. And frankly…." Zack paused as he heard a chuckle escape from his partner's lips. " Why are you laughing?" He narrowed his eyes at the older man.

" Oh come on, don't you see the irony of that statement? I mean you are like the former king of hooligans."

Zack raised a quizzical eyebrow. " The king of hooligans?"

Vincent nodded his head as he put the car into drive. " Climbing in vents, crashing weddings, taking the seats off all the toilets in the girls washroom. Any of this ring a bell?"

Zack rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but grin ever so slightly. Those were the good old days. " I was young, Vince. I didn't know any better."

" Really? And what about the other day when _someone _switched the sugar with salt in the break room?"

Zack shrugged his shoulders innocently. " Why, I have no idea what are you talking about."

Vincent shook his head. He was not buying that.

"_Two - Six David." _The voice of someone at Central echoed through the car.

Zack smirked at Vincent. _Saved by the bell…..sort of speak. _He pushed the button on the radio unit attached to his shoulder. " Two- Six David."

" _Two- Six David, what's your status?"_

" Two-Six David available." Zack resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Although he knew it was procedure for Central to check in periodically he found it rather annoying.

" _10-4 Two-Six David"_

"10-4" Zack confirmed into his radio before turning once more to face his partner. He could tell from the look on Vincent's face that the topic of his often childish behaviour was still up for discussion. He let out a sigh. " Why can't anyone except that I'm a mature, responsible adult?"

There was something in the tone of Zack's voice that told Vincent that his young partner was being serious. He put sarcasm on the back burner for a moment. " You do have a reputation for being a troublemaker. That's not something you can lose overnight, you know."

" Yeah, but still, it's not like I run around pranking people anymore. " At Vincent's look he added, " well, not very often, anyways. And I'm not out partying all the time like I did when I was 17. And I've only with one women for the past 4 years." Although Vincent didn't know who Anna was or much about her, he was aware of the fact that Zack was with a married women. When you spent 40+ hours a week in a car with someone, it's kind of hard to keep big secrets to yourself. And Zack knew that Vincent would keep his secret, even if his opinion on the situation was one that was similar to Cody's. Vincent was the one person he would talk to about things that happened at work - things he didn't want to burden the people he loved with. There were just somethings you never brought home.

" But she's married. I'm not sure that helps you case," Vincent pointed out. Zack shot him daggers and he dropped the subject.

" Look kid," Vincent reached over and patted Zack on the shoulder, " I can't speak for everyone, but I see a huge difference between the cocky rookie I first met and the officer who's sitting here. You may still have a lot of growing up to do, but you've also already done a lot of growing up over the last 3 years. I mean, you no longer ask why every time I tell you to flash the lights. And you've cut your jumping into situations without thinking in half, which is a good thing." He chuckled softly. " Hell, you may never fully grow up - and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Most likely you'll settle down once you find the right women for you."

" What if I've already found her?" Zack knew that statement wasn't fooling anyone. He frowned slightly. Was he truly still I love with Anna? Or was he just trying convince himself he was to avoid letting go and moving on with his life?

Vincent shook his head sadly. " Trust me, being in love is great. But having the person you love actually love you back unconditionally is even better."

Zack didn't know how to respond so instead he opted to take a sip of his cold coffee. He shuddered at the taste. " We need to me a coffee run."

" Fine. But you're paying this time," Vincent replied as a dark blue van pulled out in front of them. " Hey flash the lights will ya?" He added when he gotten a closer look at the van and noticed that the license plate was expired.

Zack flashed him a mischievous grin. " Why?" he asked as he reached forward and flicked the switch which turned on the lights.

" You're such a cocky bastard, you know that?" Vincent chuckled.

" You know, that's not the first time someone called me that today."

Vincent shook his head. " Why am I not surprised?" The van pulled over to the right and Vincent followed suit.

Zack once again reached for his radio and pushed the button. " Central this is Two-Six David. Pulling over a routine traffic violation in the 500 block of River Avenue."

" _Copy that."_

" I got this," Zack said as he unbuckled his seat belt. His legs were starting to get cramped from sitting in the car for the last hour and he was starting to a bit antsy. Getting out - even if it was just to remind someone that they needed to renew their license plate and perhaps issue them a ticket - would do him good.

He moved to open the door, but Vincent suddenly grabbed his arm to stop him. " Hold up. Somethings not right."

Zack was slightly confused, but he stopped anyways. He trusted Vincent with his life. If he said something was wrong, Zack listened.

" His back-up lights never flashed."

" What?"

" When you go from drive to park your back-up lights flash on and off. He's still in gear."

Zack felt slightly ashamed. He should have noticed that. He hated it when his impatient nature lead to him missing things that could be crucial . It was something he was most definitely going to have to work on.

" Just wait a second, see what he does."

Zack nodded and buckled his seatbelt back up. They only had to wait a few seconds before there was the sound of tires squealing as the van took off. It seemed that whatever they had planned to do if Zack had actually gotten out of the car and walked over to the van was now scrapped , and the two men inside were going for plan B - run for it.

" Two- Six David now in pursuit of a dark blue late 90's Chrysler van license plate Kilo Hotel Adam 2-9-4 heading westbound on River," Zack informed Central as Vincent put the car back into drive, turned on the siren and took off after van.

" _10-4 Two- Six David"_

At the first intersection the van shook a sharp left turn. The squad car followed.

" We are now heading northbound on 53rd street, Central, northbound on 53rd," Zack relayed.

The van just kept on speeding down the street.

" Watch the intersections," Vincent said as they approach where St. James Ave crossed 53rd. Watching for traffic while still trying to keep tabs on the vehicle you were pursing was rather difficult, usually requiring two sets of eyes on the road.

Zack nodded, his head automatically going from left to right and then back to left, scanning for other vehicles and pedestrians. " Clear," he called out as they entered the intersection.

" _Two-Six David, what's your position?" _Central asked after a minute had pasted.

" Still northbound on 53rd, coming up to the intersection at Westwood."

" _Copy, Two-Six David."_

Zack once again scanned the area and then cursed out loud. " Holy Shit!" Despite there being a red light up ahead at the Westwood intersection, the blue van had ploughed on through, nearly hitting a Volkswagen in the process. Zack resisted the urge to shut his eyes as they approach the intersection. He hated crossing an intersection when there was oncoming traffic. Luckily all drivers crossing on Westwood had heard the sirens ( or saw the lights) and stopped to allow the squad car to speed on through

" You okay?" Vincent asked, a concerned look on his face.

Zack nodded. " Yeah, I'm fine." _That's something else I have to work on. _He shook his head, there was no time to let his mind wonder. He was supposed be looking out for hazards on the road.

Up ahead the intersection of Carlson street was approaching and the van suddenly the hung a left. The squad quickly followed.

" Two-Six David now going eastbound on Carlson."

" _10-4 Two-Six David"_

Zack groaned as another voice come onto the intercom, that of Jason Walsh - the cop who 6 months ago had to do a month behind a desk for having sex in the back of his squad car. _" Two-Six David this is Two-Six Echo heading westbound on Carlson. We'll block the bastards off for ya."_

Vincent gave Zack a ' play nice' look and he rolled his eyes in response . Although he was thankful for the fact that someone was going to block the run away van, he wasn't to thrilled that it was Walsh. Not so long ago Zack had actually not minded the guy. Although he could sometimes be vulgar and cruel, some of his antics and jokes were amusing. Plus, waiting to hear how " the infamous Jason Walsh" had screwed up this time, gave him something to look forward to on days that were dead. But all that changed at Chad's funeral. After the service everyone had gathered inside the church for some coffee and cake, and just to share stories about their times with Chad. Zack had made a comment about how this had been the first time someone had died since he started working at the 26th precinct, and Jason had replied with something along the lines of how that reminded him of a horror movie because the black people always seemed to be the first to die. If Cody had not been standing right beside him, Zack didn't think he would have stopped himself from seriously hurting the man - never mind the fact that they were surrounded about hundreds of officers and other law enforcement officials. Zack grimaced as he glanced out of the window and noticed flashing lights off in the fast approaching distance. But right now he knew that he couldn't think about how much he loathed that man. He had a job to do. "CopyTwo-Six Echo. I have you in my sight."

And apparently so did the driver because he quickly pulled the van sharply to the right, entering an abandoned parking lot behind a movie rental store .But despite avoiding a head on collision with a cop car the men inside the car were not so lucky. They took the corner way to sharp causing the van to spin out of control and land on the driver's side.

Walsh and his partner Davis pulled their car into the parking lot first, moments later followed by Vincent and Zack.

And then everything seemed to happen at once.

Vincent called into Central and told them to rush a bus to their location just as the suspect on the passenger side - a Middle Eastern man in his late 20's from the looks of it - jumped out of the window and ran off towards a back alley a couple of hundred feet away. It appeared that driver of the van was pinned beneath the steering wheel and unconscious. Upon seeing the suspect flee, Walsh jumped out of his car and ran after him, yelling for him to stop. " You come back here, you god damn towel head. You just wait until I get you!"

_Asshole. _

That was Zack's only thought as he too got of his car and ran in the direction of the alley - Vincent's calls for him to come back ignored.

_How can he be so ignorant? We don't even know if the guy is armed or where he is heading. _

As he closed the distance between him and Walsh, Zack's rage just kept intensifying and he found himself completely forgetting about everything that was going on around him - something that was extremely dangerous. The only thing on his mind was reaching Walsh and ….well he wasn't sure what he was going to do once he reached the man, only that it wouldn't be pretty.

_How can he just run like that after what happened to Chad? Oh yeah, I forgot. Chad's just some black guy who got shot. _

Walsh turned around when he heard footsteps, no doubt expecting to find someone who was going to back him up. He was most definitely wrong.

Zack slammed his body into the older - and considerably bigger - man, pinning him against the side of a parking garage. " What the fuck is your problem?" He could no longer contain himself. He was sick and tired of Walsh's attitude, his disregard for rules, his bigot views and pretty much everything about the man . And despite telling Vincent only 6 months prior that he didn't think Captain McNally should sack him, Zack wished nothing less for his fellow officer. There was only so much of this he could take. And in the past six months he had slowly began to realize there was a big difference between what he did - the occasional prank and snide comment- and what Walsh did. He no longer found his comrade funny or even worthy of his respect.

Walsh was momentarily stunned at Zack's sudden attack. But he quickly got over his shock and pushed him back. " Get off of me you punk."

Zack held stead fast. He wasn't going to back down, not today. Far off in the distant he heard the sound of approaching sirens - the ambulance was one it's way. But that didn't matter. All that matter was getting his point across - and giving Walsh a good ass kicking. " How could you…how could you just run after him without even checking first? You may not have gave a damn about Chad, but his death should have taught to something. You make me sick. " He stopped shouting for a moment to catch his breath and gather his thoughts. He wasn't sure if he was getting through, but somehow this felt like the right thing to do.

He was sure that Walsh had responded to him verbally, but the sound of his heartbeat pounding in his eardrums seem to drowned everything out. And it really didn't matter what he had said anyways. The bigger man once again tried to push away, and Zack once again pushed him back. " And do you ever think before you do anything? Or do you think that you're so great, so wonderful that you are invincible? I mean, god, you have no idea what's going on here, you do? You could have been…you could have been -"

Zack stopped mid- sentence as he simultaneously heard a loud bang and felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. And suddenly felt himself falling forwards, right into the arms of a man who only seconds earlier he had so desperately wanted to hurt.

**6:35 pm**

Bailey let out mix between a gasp and a moan as her back roughly hit the living room wall, Cody's eager body pinning her against the hard surface. It had come as quite a shock to her to discover on the night of their high school graduation, that when it came to making love Cody liked to be in charge. Generally he had more of a subdued personality - more so when he was a teenager then now- and preferred to just do what others told him to do and avoid conflict ( unless this conflict involved his brother- but that was a whole other story) But time and suddenly being thrown into the world of Corporate Businesses had caused him to change that. He had gained both confidence and assertiveness from working for Tipton Industries. But still, aggressive was not the first word that came to mind when someone was describing Cody Martin. Passionate, definitely a possibility - he did tend to get really passionate about the things he loved. But he wasn't really aggressive or hostile about it . He was not one to let his emotions impact what he thought and rarely did he take drastic - often stupid - measures to make a point ( unlike Zack who had an almost ' act now - think later' policy) He preferred logic and calm reasoning - something that had been both an asset and a liability in his success at TI.

But behind closed doors - that was a different story. And Bailey had to admit she kind of liked this more dominate side of his personality.

She felt her body being to tremble as he placed his lips against her skin and fervently began to trace her collarbone. As he reached the base of her neck and began to ascend upward she let out a soft moan causing him stop and let out a husky laugh. He rather enjoyed getting such raw reactions from her.

" Cody…" she whispered the moment he stopped," please…."

" Please what?" he mumbled into her neck as he started to kiss her again.

" Please…don't….don't…" It was impossible for her to think as his lips ravished her skin. " …..stop."

" I wasn't planning to," he growled into her ear and then stifled a moan against her neck as he ran his right hand through her hair, the mixture of the scent of her strawberry shampoo and vanilla body spray overwhelming him. "…. oh god …" he whimpered, taking a moment to regain his composure before wrapping the fingers of his left hand around the waistband of her jeans - pulling her even closer to him. And then in one swift move he lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist - his lips now finding hers.

It was moments like this that made Bailey thankful for Cody's new job. When he was still the Junior- Vince President of TI he was never home this early in the afternoon. A couple of days after Jon Harrington's party - and more importantly Cody's heart to heart with both his brother and then later Bailey - he had uncharacteristically called a conference with Wilfred Tipton and informed him that he was quitting his job. Mr. Tipton had been understandably shocked and upset - he thought very highly of Cody and his opinions. But Cody was prepared for this. He assured the man that although he no longer wanted all the responsibilities of being at the top of the company - he was willing to negotiate a deal. Cody knew that Mr. Tipton would grasp at the chance to still keep him close, even if he was not longer his right hand man. After a considerable amount of debating Mr. Tipton agreed to let Cody remain as an official advisor for TI , making the occasional business trip or consultation. And Cody also some how convinced him - despite never actually taking any formal training in the culinary arts - that he was the prefect candidate to become a second head chef at the Boston Tipton Hotel. To convince him further, Cody actually arranged to cook Mr. Tipton and a select group of guests a four course meal. By the time the entrée was being served, he had the job. Because he shared the kitchen with Chef Palo, Cody was now able to take days off and spend more time with Bailey. Something they both enjoyed immensely. Particularly on days like today.

Suddenly Bailey felt her left leg vibrate slightly( somebody was trying to call Cody's phone which was in his pants pocket)- sending chills down her spine and causing her to get excited . And apparently the vibrations were having the same effect on Cody. But much to her displeasure he stopped kissing her and - after pressing her hard against the wall to make sure she didn't fall- reached into his pocket for his phone.

_You better not answer that! _she thought as she tried to grab it out of his hand.

He grabbed her wrist before she could get a firm grasp of the phone and gave her a cocky grin, as if to say ' uh uh, I'm the one in charge here', before tossing the phone over his shoulder. It landed with a soft thump on the couch behind them. Then he grabbed a hold of her head and pulled it towards him, crushing her lips once more with his.

**6:03 pm**

_Shit, shit, shit, shit ….come on Zack just think about something else, come on….don't think about the pain…everything's going to be alright….ahhhhh damn that fucking hurts…_

" Zack?"

_What do you want? Wait, that voice sounds so familiar…_

" Come on, pretty boy open your eyes for me."

_Pretty boy? That must mean…. _

" Reba?" he called out hoarsely.

_Wait, what did she mean by open up my eyes? Whoa, whoa, whoa…where the hell am I? _

" That's right, Zack. Come on,"

Slowly Zack opened his eyes, the sun blinding him for a moment. Once he regained his vision he looked around and felt his heartbeat suddenly increase. " Why…why…why am I lying on my side? Why am I on the ground? What is going on? Reba? What's…what's happening?" Suddenly he felt rather cold. He tried to get up - to get a better look at what was going - but found that he was unable to.

" It's okay, Zack. You were just out cold for a few seconds. You were shot while you and Walsh chased a suspect down an alley." She didn't see the need to add that everyone that had been by the accident site prior to the shooting had heard Zack and Jason's confrontation. She didn't want to worry him any further. Rebecca ' Reba' Daly and her partner Kyle Barkhouse worked " third watch" ( the 3pm-11pm shift)at the fire station across the street from the 26th Precinct and often ended up crossing paths with Vincent Zack on a daily basis. Their jobs were so inter-mixed that - despite the almost sibling like rivalry between cops and medics- Zack considered them co-workers and friends. More importantly he trusted them just as much as he trusted his partner. Although Reba was happily married and Zack was in a " relationship" the two of them always enjoy innocently flirting with each other. It was just a part of their outgoing personalities and meant nothing.

_Shot? Whoa…that explains the pain….wait did she say Walsh? _Imagines of what had happen moments before he lost consciousness flashed in his mind, making his anger return. He turned his head slightly, his mobility limited considerably, and noticed that Walsh was not in the immediate vicinity. " Where is that son of a bitch? I'm gonna…I'm gonna to kill him!"

Reba put her hand on his side to prevent from attempting to get up and shook her head at him. " You are not going anywhere mister. Now calm down, okay. I can't take your vitals if you are moving about. And the more you move the more you are going to screw up that shoulder of yours. Now come on, relax"

Zack stopped moving. He knew there was no way Reba was going to let him get up. But didn't stop him from wanting to.

Zack began to take slow breaths, trying to calm himself down and forget about killing Walsh. But he found that more he cleared his mind, the more he felt the pain. And it was beginning to become unbearable. " Can you give something for the pain?" He winced.

" Just hold on a second, okay? Let Kyle relay your vitals and then he'll make a request for morphine."

Zack slowly nodded even though he didn't know if he would be able to stand the wait. But he also knew that they - also like the cops- had protocol follow and that he had no choice. He took another deep breath.

" Hey," Reba said as she took his pulse, " isn't your brother getting married this weekend?" She was hoping that getting him to talk about Cody's wedding would be a distraction while they waited for the hospital to give the okay on the morphine. She turned to her partner. " Pulse 110, Respiration 35, BP 85/50"

Kyle nodded and relayed the message.

Zack really had no idea if that was good or not, but he figured if something was really wrong they would tell him. " Uh…yeah…yeah he's finally getting married."

" How long have they been together anyways?" she asked as Kyle nodded his head and then handed her syringe. " Okay, this should help with the pain."

Zack cringed slightly when he saw the size of the needle. He greatly disliked them. He gulped as she injected him.

" Alright, now let's check out this wound, okay?"

He slowly nodded as she turned him so his back was facing her and pealed back his tattered uniform. She clucked softy and then laid him back on his side. " I'm going to need to take off your shirt, okay?"

" If…if you really wanted to see my chest, all you had to do was ask," he weakly smiled up at her, " you didn't have to wait for me to get shot."

She chuckled softly. His playful side was surfacing, a big indication that the pain medication was working. She ripped the sleeve of his uniform off and took a look at the front on his upper arm. " That's actually a pretty clean exit wound," she observed.

_Exit wound? Wait….what? What about Walsh? Why was he not hit. _

" But if…if there is an exit wound why isn't Walsh here beside me?" he asked her, his heart rate starting to pick up again.

" The bullet hit him in vest. He's pretty damn lucky. If he hadn't been wearing his vest it would killed him."

The reality of the situation suddenly dawned on Zack . Never mind the fact that Walsh was lucky,_ he _was one that was pretty damn lucky. He turned his head to the side and threw up.

**8:30 pm**

" You're late," Zack said as he glanced up from his seat on the edge of a hospital bed in an examination room just off the emergency entrance of the hospital. The doctor had finished his examination about and hour ago and was just keeping him here as precaution. He had already been visited by Vince - who was just grabbing a bite to eat before he returned - his mother and Captain McNally. The only person who had yet seen him was Cody, who had just walked through the door.

A blush began to form on Cody's cheek as he looked down and mumbled. " I was distracted."

Zack took a look at his brother and then laughed. He had a good feeling he knew exactly what his brother was talking about. " That's awesome."

Cody raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything as he walked over to his brother's bed.

Upon closer inspection Zack noticed that his brother looked terrible. " You look like shit."

Cody scowled slightly. " I just spend the last half hour in a state of panic because I missed being by my twin brother's side at one of the worst moments of his life." He shook his head and added. " I should have answered that damn phone when it rang the first time."

Zack smirked, as to way to insure his brother that there were no hard feelings. " Well, you were preoccupied."

Cody glared at him. " Is it really the obvious to you that I was having sex?"

" I can read you like an open book little brother."

A small smirk formed on Cody's lips. " And yet you can't read an actual book." He then looked his brother over, noticing for the first time the actual state of his body. If Zack thought _he_ looked like shit, what did he think of his own appearance? " How are you feeling?"

" Great."

Cody frowned. " Now is not the time for sarcasm, Zack."

Zack shook his head. " No, seriously. I feel great. Morphine is a drug of many wonders."

" Right. So did…did they have to put you under?" Cody deeply regretted the fact that he had not been here and therefore did not know the answer to this question.

Zack once again shook his head. " They just put my right side to sleep. Actually, I'm kind of afraid to get off this bed right now, you know, I still feel kind of numb."

Cody nodded. " And what about the shooting? Will there be an investigation."

" Yeah." Zack sighed. " And I'm screwed."

" What? Why?"

" Because I picked a fight with a fellow officer during a run, putting both ours lives at risk. That's a big no-no."

Cody's jaw dropped slightly. " You and Vince had a fight?" He thought Zack really like his partner and generally respected him.

" No, it was with Walsh."

" Well, I would picked a fight with him too. That man is despicable."

Zack raised his eyebrows. Cody didn't often promote violence. " Anyways, that probably won't be for another year - you know how long all that crap takes- so I have time to build up a case."

Cody nodded. He would help his brother prove he his case, no matter what it took. " And what about after you get out of here? How long before you go back to work?"

Zack groaned. " Six weeks."

" Well that's not that bad."

" Not bad! Are you kidding me?" Zack put on a ridiculous pout.

Cody rolled his eyes. Sometimes Zack still reminded him of a child - only one who could legally have more fun. " Well, we are going on a cruise in a couple of days. So at least your first week and a half is covered."

" But what about the other 4 ½ weeks?"

" You'll find something to do, you always do."

Zack nodded. " Yeah, you're right. I'll probably end up staying in my suite though. Interacting with guests is far more entertaining then trying to engage in a conversation with the crazy cat lady that lives down the hall."

Cody frowned, trying to picture Zack's neighbour. " Isn't she like in her early 30's?"

" That doesn't change the fact that she is slightly crazy and owns a hell of a lot of cats. Actually, now that I think about it, she kind of reminds me of Tutweiller."

" Really? She's coming to the wedding, you know."

" Sweet," Zack nodded his head as he thought something over. " Now I can stick it in her face. She always thought I would be behind bars before I turned 21. Ha, won't she be shocked to learn I am actually the one locking people up. Who else is coming?"

Cody mulled this over for a second. " Well, Maddie and Kerr of course, and Woody and a friend…"

" A friend?"

Cody shrugged his shoulders. " That's all he said. ' I'm bringing a friend.'"

" Odd," Zack scrunched up his face as he remembered Cody's awkward roommate in high school.

" I know. Anyways….who else is coming? Some friends of mine from Harvard, but you don't care about that…." he paused for a second and then rolled his eyes, "…oh and like half the state of freaking Kansas."

Zack busted into laughter. " It's your fault you married into such a big family. You should have thought about that before you decided to fall in love with her."

Cody grimaced slightly. " Well to late now."

" You could always call off the wedding," Zack suggested with a cheeky grin.

" No way!" Cody shook his head. " I love her too much to do that. No, I am most definitely going to marry Bailey, regardless if she is related to pretty much everybody in Kettlecorn."

Zack glanced at his brother and smiled. He was truly happy that Cody was happy and ready to settle down and start a new chapter in his life. But that smile suddenly became a frown as something dawned on him. Would he ever be this happy? He knew that he and Anna were never going to get married and settle down. And he doubted that the feeling of always being second in her mind would ever truly go away.

" What's wrong?" Cody asked, noticing Zack sudden mood change.

" Nothing, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

" Zack?" Cody wasn't going to buy that nothing was wrong. Something was clearly bothering him.

Zack sighed, really hating the fact that he had such a worrisome bother. But he knew Cody wouldn't let it go. " I just keep thinking about me and Anna. That's all. All this talk about weddings is making me realize that I most likely won't have that."

Cody turned and gave him a stern look. And right then and there he decided he was going to do what he should have done 6 months ago, the night of Jon' party, tell Zack exactly what he thought of the situation. " You need to leave her. Or she needs to leave him. You can't go on like this for the rest of your life."

" But…but…"

" But what Zack?"

He sighed. " I don't know…it's just, complicated."

Cody shook his head. "No, it's not complicated, it's hard. And your afraid of getting hurt."

Zack frowned. Cody pegged that one right on the head. He was afraid, afraid of being alone.

" You need to start acting like the adult you are and take some responsibly."

Zack sighed. Cody was most definitely right. " I'll…..I'll call her and we'll talk when we both get back to Boston." At Cody's look he added, " she's in Paris right , celebrating her wedding anniversary."

Cody raised his arms in the air, not really believing the situation. " Wow Zack, that right there should be a clue as to why this isn't working out. And you better call her, or I will."

Zack nodded. " I'll….I'll call."

Cody glanced at his brother and sighed. Then he shook his head. " And while you plan on what you are going to say, ask yourself this question. If you had died today, would she have flown all the way back here for your funeral?"

Zack closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. He knew the answer to that, and it wasn't the answer he wanted to hear.

**Finally I am done!!!! **

**Anyways I am excited about Chapter 5 because it's more upbeat then this one ( or the previous). But I am even more excited about Chapter 6 because what happens in that chapter is the reason why I am writing this story in the first place. Anyways, I don't know when I will post the next chapter, but it most definitely won't take me as long as it did to post this one ( I have Chapters 5,6 and 7 pretty much memorized so all I have to do is type them). But I think I will update "Fine Lines"( my other suite life fic - which you should definitely check out if you haven't ) before I update Bliss. **

**Reviews keep the voices in my head happy, and trust me they need to be kept happy. LOL**


	5. Chapter 5

**HEY WALDO! CHECK OUT THE DATE AND TIME BEFORE YOU READ THE CHAPTER. LOL!! You know that I love ya and greatly appreciate your input. **

**I know that I said I was going to update " Fine Lines" before I update this story, but I am just in a Bliss mood now, so I will probably be focusing on this story for awhile. This chapter is a lot shorter and much lighter then the previous one. **

**Anyways, Ellie, can you spot the part of Dawson Leery and his friend's over dramatic life I incorporated into this chapter? **

**Saturday, March 16 2019, 11:15 am **

" Hey man, I picked up your-" Zack trailed off upon noticing his brother sitting crossed legged on the floor of his honeymoon suite on board the S.S Tipton. They had left Boston yesterday afternoon and were going to spend a week sailing up and down the East Coast of North America - stopping at various ports along the way. " - why are you meditating?"

Cody opened his eyes and got up off the floor. He gave his brother a quizzical look, as if to say ' isn't it obvious?' " I always meditate when I'm nervous. You know that."

Zack walked over and placed Cody's tuxedo - which he picked up from the dry cleaners- on the bed before giving him a sideways glance. " Why are you nervous?"

" Hello? I'm getting married today!"

Zack waved his left hand dismissively - he still found it rather painful to use his right arm. Despite it only being 4 days since he had been shot, he was already getting rather annoyed with his 'handicap'. " Come on, Cody, this ceremony is just a formality. There is no need to be nervous. I mean, Bailey _has _been shacking up with you for the past 8 years. As far as I am concerned she already is a Martin."

" That doesn't change the fact that I'm nervous."

Zack contemplated this for a moment. " I suppose not." He grabbed a bottle of water off of a table by the bed and took a sip.

Cody took this as a sign that his brother might be staying awhile and bent down to roll up his yoga mat. " Hey, thanks again for last night," he called over his shoulder as he put the mat in the bottom drawer of one of the dresser in the room.

" No problem. What is the use of the best man, if not to throw the groom a kick ass bachelor party?"

Cody chuckled. Of course Zack would only think about the more "fun" part of being the best man and not about how traditionally the purpose of the head groomsman was to protect the bride from would-be kidnappers - not get the groom drunk the night before. " You know, you had me worried for a moment there. I was sure that you were going to do the whole stripper thing and throw some crazy and wild party. But I have to say, just inviting some guys over for a causal beer or two, so we could catch up, was nice."

Zack shrugged his shoulders. It was not what he would have called a party, but seeing as it wasn't supposed to be about him, he thought a more sophisticated setting would probably be more ideal. "Hey, I couldn't have you still drunk at the ceremony, making a fool of yourself, now could I? That's why they have a reception. And besides, I know how you feel about strippers and how it would have made you feel guilty, like you were cheating on Bailey, or something like that."

" Well, when you get married-"

Zack shook his head before his brother could finish. " Not likely going to happen."

But of course, Cody was not going to except that statement. " Of course it is. Because you are going to keep your part of our deal and break it off with Anna as soon as she is back on American soil. And then you are going to find someone- someone who truly loves you- and the two of you are going to settle down."

But Zack wasn't as optimistic as his brother. Perhaps, this whole situation was just a sign that he was indeed destined to float from women to women. And he wasn't so sure he wanted to love again. It was almost better just to satisfy certain needs every once in a while and then move on. He knew this was a very immature way to look at things - and not helping in his on going battle to prove he had indeed grown up- but it was how he was beginning feel. " Yeah, okay whatever. If you say so."

" Don't be so negative. It'll happen. You'll find someone who makes you feel the same way I feel about Bailey. And it will happen when you least expect it."

Zack still wasn't convinced, but he let it go. " Hey where is Bailey anyways?"

" With London. You do know that it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding, right?"

" Pfft, that's a load of bull."

" Yeah, well I happen to like traditions. Anyways, poor thing, though. This morning when I woke up she was bent over the toilet, heaving her guts out."

" Perhaps she just as nervous as you are about this whole wedding thing. " Zack suggested with a shrug. It was possible, he did know that Bailey tended to get sick in the stomach was she was anxious.

" Perhaps…" Cody trailed off.

Zack could tell that Bailey's discomfort was upsetting him. He reached over and patted him on the back. " Don't worry. She'll probably feel a lot better once the actual ceremony part is over."

Cody nodded. " Yeah, you're probably right."

" Anyways, on to more important things. Have you _seen _Woody's " friend"?"

Cody rolled his eyes. _More important things, okay whatever. _"Ingrid? Yeah, I met her briefly, yesterday."

Zack let out a low whistle." That is one hell of a women."

" Yeah, sure, she's attractive, I guess." Cody shrugged his shoulders. He didn't often check out other women- even if there were good looking.

Zack gawked. " Attractive? Are you kidding me? My bet is the infirmary is full of guys who now have permanent damage due to lack of blood flow to their brain, thanks to that women. Attractive is putting it mildly."

" Your point is?" Cody wasn't really interested in Zack theories on how Ingrid's presence caused a bunch of Neanderthals to get hard- ons.

" How in the world did a guy like Woody Fink land a chick like that?"

Cody frowned. He never really thought about that kind of thing. He always believe that you didn't really have a choice about who you fell in love with. But he also believed that loving someone was not an excuse to stay in a relationship that was unhealthy. Love was a two way street. Which was why - despite believing Zack falling for Anna was not entirely ( although most definitely partially) his fault- he stood by his decision to pretty much force his brother to end his affair. " Not everything is about looks, Zack. Love is blind, they say."

Zack let out snort. " Still, it's kind of funny. Don't you think?"

Cody had to admit that portly and still slightly awkward Woody hooking up with " one hell of a women" - as Zack had so nicely put it- was kind of ironic. " I guess, sure, why not?" He instinctively glanced down at his watch - he had been doing so all morning, practically counting down the minutes until he said ' I do'. It was already 11:45. He glanced over at Zack - who had yet to put on his suit- and cursed. "Shit, we're late."

Zack looked at his own watch and sighed. The still had almost 3 hours- the ceremony wasn't until 2:30. " Chill, dude. We have time."

" But…but I still have to -"

Zack cut him off. "All you have to do is make sure that you are at the alter on time. Everything else is being taken care of, trust me. Now, I'm going to go and check on how things are going on up on the Sky Deck, and then I'm going to get changed. You go back to your Yogalates or whatever it is that you do." And before Cody could protest he left the suite.

**12:10pm **

" Hey Zack, could you run down to The Cactus and grab me a couple more bottles of vodka and rye and another bottle opener? Just ask Chris to get if from the back. "

" Yeah, sure Jared, no problem," Zack called out to the man behind the bar, setting everything up for tonight festivities. Jared Veldman, a former student of Seven Seas High and classmate of the twins, owned and ran " The Red Cactus" - one of the many restaurants/bars on board the S.S. Tipton. Jared was both supplying the alcohol and catering for the wedding.

Cody first idea was to just cater the wedding himself. But course this was rather overzealous and somewhat idiotic of him - which Zack was more then happy point out- and after some reconsideration he decided to let Chef Palo do it. Unfortunately there was a Chef convention going on at the Tipton on the same day - something that Cody was very disappointed to miss- and Chef Palo had already made the commitment to be the host . Zack knew that if his brother had known that just a couple of weeks after he booked the cruise for his wedding he would become 2nd Head Chef at the Tipton and could potentially have been a big part of that convention, he would have changed the date of his wedding to the weekend before. Zack shook his head as he thought about how changing one little factor could make a situation have a totally different outcome. If Cody's wedding had been last week he would not have been in that ally 4 days ago and would have never been shot. But he also probably would not now be on the verge of breaking it off with Anna - he was going to do it ….eventually….maybe…

Although not particularly a religious man, he found himself glancing up at the heavens as he headed towards restaurant. _Either you're screwing with me, or you have one heck of plan for me. Either way, can't we just skip the bumps and turns and get on with the show? _He sighed. He was tried of not knowing what was going to happen in the future. As much as he liked being spontaneous, he just wished he knew when the shit was going to hit the fan, so he could avoid getting a _tasty_ mouth full.

He glance back down, a smile forming on his lips when he recognized a blonde standing a few feet away from him - her belly protruding so far out that he was pretty sure if she was to look down she would not have been able to see her feet. "Maddie McPhee," he called out, causing her to look up. She had a very healthy glow to her.

" Hey there sweet thang," she said in a sing-song voice as she waddled over in his direction, her right hand bracing her stomach.

He leaned over to lightly kiss her cheek. " I would hug you, but seeing as I am currently limited to one hand and you…"He trailed off, finding it difficult to find the right word to describe a very pregnant Maddie.

" …look and feel like a bloated whale," she suggested with a smile.

" Well, I wouldn't have put it like that, but sure, that works."

She chuckled. " It's okay. You know, I am starting to really have a new found respect for your mother. Carrying twins sucks, big time."

" I bet." Although he would never really admit to out loud he definitely thought that women got the short end of the stick when it came to starting a family, and if he ever became a father he would wait on the mother of his child, hand and foot.

" Yeah, well Kerr and I are like counting down the days. Only 45 more. Of course, then it becomes real fun. I heard twins can such a joy."

Zack laughed. " Oh no my dear, the real fun starts around the age of 12."

She grumbled. " How true. And now I will have three kids." She paused for a moment and gave him a playful grin. " And that just happened to be the age when you entered my life, how about that?"

He smirked. " God works in mysterious ways." He knew that Maddie had stuck with her up bringing and therefore was still a Catholic - although not a devote as her parents would have liked her to be.

" That he does. Trust me, I would know."

" Hey, where is Kerr by the way?" Zack asked upon noticing Maddie's husband was no where to be seen.

She shook her head. " I don't know. This morning he said something about going to find Cody so he could finish a conversation they had last night about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or something like that."

Zack rolled his eyes. " Last night was like a freaking nerd convention. There was Cody and all his Harvard chums, Moesby and Kerr sitting off in a corner discussing who knows what, while Woody, Esteban and I played cards. But at least Cody had fun. And it wasn't that bad. I heard quite a few interesting tales for the Woodman, ones that if they had happened to anyone else I wouldn't have believed them to actually be true." He paused for a second. " Wait, isn't Kerr an English Professor?"

"Uh-huh"

" Why is he interested in psychology?"

She raised a finger in the air. " Ah, Carter was just diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, and Kerr is hard set against putting him on medication. So he's looking into alternative methods of helping him focus."

" But why ask Cody?"

She shrugged her shoulders slightly. " Whenever I have a problem I can't figure out I always end up calling Cody. If he doesn't know the answer, he most likely knows someone who does."

Zack nodded. His brother was like a walking encyclopaedia . He somewhat felt sorry for Cody and Bailey's future children - they most definitely had big shoes to fill in the academic department. " True."

Just then a waiter rushed by on his way to Sky Deck. " Damn," Zack cursed out loud as he glanced down at his watch, " I'm supposed to be getting something. Catch up with you later?"

She nodded. " Yeah, see you."

He kissed her on the forehead and then turned to rush off towards " The Cactus." He knew he was probably going to be cutting it short in terms of being ready on time. It was already 12:25 and he still had lots to do - never mind the fact that he wasn't in his suit yet.

He walked up to the bar and after informing Chris- the bartender- what he wanted took a look around. The restaurant was not packed full of people, but there was enough going on to keep everybody busy. He noticed two women - a blonde and a red head- sitting at the other end of the bar. The red head cocked her finger, motioning for him to join them.

He looked down at his watch. _I guess I have a few moments to spare while Chris is in the back. _He walked over to them.

" Uh, hi," the red head began, " okay I know this might sound a little forward, but can you kiss me friend here?"

Zack was instantly taken aback - it was only just after lunch time, not the usual time for such a question to be asked. And yet he found himself automatically checking her friend out. She was not the most attractive women he had ever seen, and yet he found something very appealing about her modest attire - she was wearing a dark pair of jeans and a light pink tank top- and the way her shoulder length wavy blonde fell over her face, partially covered her now blushing face -her blue/green eyes bugling slightly underneath her dark blue glasses. Had this been 4 ½ years ago he would have kissed her and not even thought twice about it. But now….

" I don't really want you kiss me… not that I don't think you wouldn't be a good kisser…..it's just…what I mean to say is you don't have to kiss me. I mean, unless you want to…..oh damn it …" she trailed off and opted to just look down instead of continuing to talk and most likely make an even bigger fool of himself.

Zack chuckled to himself. _She is rather cute when she is nervous. _He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could say anything Chris returned from the back with his alcohol.

" Here you are man."

Zack grabbed the box from off the counter and then turned back towards the ladies. The blonde had now composed herself somewhat, but he could tell that she was still slightly embarrassed. He gave them both a quick smile before turning to leave.

As he walked away he could not help but over hear the red head reprimand her friend. " Taylor," she hissed, " you just blew off of a really hot guy who totally wanted to kiss you."

Zack let out a small chuckle as he walk out of the door and into the hallway, basking in the slight ego trip.

**2:50 pm **

" Do you Bailey Ann Pickett take Cody Edwin Martin to be your lawful wedded husband?"

Zack looked at his brother and soon to be sister-in-law and could not help but smile. Despite his constant talk of how they were rather annoying when it came to their mushiness - more so when they started dating then now- he had to admit there was no one better for his little brother the Bailey.

He always found the ceremonial part of weddings rather dull and found himself letting his mind wander. He had to admit that Bailey looked rather beautiful in her dress and that London's hair stylist had done an amazing job of her hair. He had been rather surprised to hear that the heiress had volunteered to take Bailey and her bridesmaids shopping for the wedding and the let them use her personal stylist.

_Well if London can mature, then I guess there is still hope for me. _

He shook his head at his thoughts. He _was _mature, he just had to find a way to show it.

_You could just stop being a chicken and give Anna a call?_

He groaned inwardly, he hated it when his conscience - which he had nicknamed ' The Other Cody' - took over. Why couldn't he just leave him alone? He already got enough lectures from the real Cody.

_Well what if I don't want to?_

Zack could almost picture ' other Cody' shaking his head mockingly.

_But that would childish. We don't want that, remember?_

He was brought back to reality as someone lightly nudged him in the ribs. It was Peter Markham- Cody's Harvard roommate. " Falling asleep are we?" he whispered into Zack's ear. Zack could tell from the tone of his voice that he wasn't disappointed , but rather that he found the situation amusing. Pete was a pretty entertaining guy for a pencil pusher.

Zack shook his head slightly. " Just having a debate with myself, that's all," he whispered back.

"And who won?"

Zack gave him a cheeky smile. " The jury is still out on that one."

They turned their attention back to ceremony just as the preacher announced. " … by the power vested in me and the state of Massachusetts I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Zack let out a loud whistle as his brother's lips found those of his bride.

When the couple broke apart the preacher raised his hands to the crowd. " Let me be the first to introduce you to Mr. & Mrs. Cody Martin."

**5:35pm**

" Uh, can I have your attention please," Zack called out from his place at the head table as he stood up. Slowly the rumble of voices quieted. " Well, first off I want to apologize now for the lack of organization of this speech. But just so you know, this is the first speech I have done that my brother hasn't written, so be nice to me."

" That's my boy," Carey yelled from her seat beside Kurt on the grooms side of the table.

" Apparently, that makes my mother very proud, which is always a good thing."

There was a ripple of laughter through out the guests.

" Anyways, when Cody and I were younger we always used to fight over who was the better man. When it came to academics and book smarts and pretty much anything intellectual, Cody pretty much kicked my ass, I'm not gonna lie. But when it came to the more important things in life , like sports and getting babes, I generally speaking came out on top. So I guess you could say we were fairly equal, although Cody will still argue that being able to balance a chemical equation is far more useful then being able sink a three pointer. I say, that's a matter of opinion. Pro basketball players do make more money then the average lab tech. But the point is, I finally have the answer to the question. Which twin is the better man? And clearly - and even my brother can't debate this logic - I am the best man. I mean, why else would there be a little name tag by my dinner plate that says ' Zackary Martin - Best Man'?

Everyone burst into laughter. He paused for a moment to let them quiet down.

" Anyways, about a two weeks ago my partner and I were cleaning out our squad and Vince decided to turn on the radio - retro country or something stupid like that- and a song came on that kind of reminded me of my brother. And want to share with you the chorus. And no, I am not going to sing it. I am saving my superb singing voice for later- I hear there is going to be some karaoke. Anyways," he cleared his throat, " here it goes. I wanna be the one ,when all is said and done, who lived a good life, loved a good wife, and always helped someone in trouble. On the day they lay me down I want everyone to gather 'round and say he was a father, brother, neighbour and a friend. He was a good man. And while Cody is obviously not dead, I think that really applies to him. While I am the " best" man, he is a good man and probably a better person because of it. Although he can sometimes be a rather large pain in the butt, I know that he truly does loves me and will do anything for me. And for that I am eternally grateful. He is one hell of a brother."

He paused to take a look at Cody, who was slightly misty eyed. " You're not going to cry on my now, are you?" he joked.

Cody shook his head and cleared his throat. " No….I'm not crying."

Zack clasped him on the shoulder. " It's okay if you do." He gave him a smirk and added, " It is your wedding day, you _are _signing away your last right to freedom."

Cody chuckled softy and stood up to pull him into a hug. " I love you man," he whispered into his brother's ear.

" I love you too. Now let me finish my toast. There are people impatiently waiting to get this party started."

Cody nodded and sat back down. Zack continued his speech. " Alright, um, where was I? Oh yeah, Cody is most definitely a great brother, neighbour and friend, and I have no doubts that he will one day become a great father. And the day we do lay him down - and hopefully that day does not come any time soon - I can almost guarantee that people will gather around and testify to this."

Zack took a glance at his brother and noticed that he was actually crying. And for once he wasn't going to make of fun him because of it. " And as for the beautiful and every so charming Bailey Pickett….oops I mean Bailey Martin, sorry darling -"

She shook her head and waved her hand dismissively. He was forgiven for that slip up.

" - I could not have picked a better person for my little brother and I am forever thankful that she decided to take a chance on a boy who once wrote a 9 page e-mail on her hair. One who was also once convinced that if he ate his toe nail a foot would grow in his stomach and used to sanitize every surface of his room at least twice a day. A boy who carried around his blankly until he was 14 and made out with a model head from the art department so he could learn the proper technique to kissing. And the list goes on. The point is that once upon a time Cody Martin was a little bit of a dork. And yet Bailey saw past all his strange quirks and saw something she liked - and eventually learned to love- a sweet sensitive and thoughtful guy who she knew would love her until the end of time. Bailey, let me be the first to officially welcome you to the Martin family. It's been a hell of long time in the making."

She got up and gave him a hug. " Thanks Zack, that means a lot to me."

" No problem love."

She sat back down and Zack reached for his glass from the table. " Now, would everyone please raise their glass of Champaign -or I guess in my case sparkling apple cider, seeing as I am currently on Tylenol 3 - and make a toast to my little brother and best friend Cody and his gorgeous wife Bailey."

" TO CODY AND BAIELY"

**I am so excited about the next chapter. Expect some catching up with old friends, some good old drunkenness, a little bit of karaoke because that is always lots of fun, and Zack doing something he had never done before * GASP* What could that be? You'll have to wait and see!**

**As always reviews totally make my otherwise boring life more exciting. **


	6. Chapter 6

K soo Like im so x-cited bout this chappie!!!! Cuz its like my best work eva

So afffter the bst man spech thing zac is like "l8ter dudes im outtie!" and ther all like " Whateva you mofo" so zac gos and walks round and saz 2 himself fuck my gimpy arm im gonna get TANKED!!! So he heads to the bar and sees London as she is soooooo wasted that its not even funy and she is like " hey their zackiekins wz up?" and he is all like " hey babe wanna hav sex?" London lets out a screeeeam "OMG ive bean like w8ting for u 2 ask me dat sinc the day that I met u!!!!" as zac pulls off hiz pants he thinks 2 himself im totalllly blisfuly patetick!!!!

THE END!!!

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cant beleve dat im finale done dis storeeee!!! YAY ME!!!

* * *

Okay okay, enough of this CRAP!!! APRIL FOOLS EVERYONE!!! That was supposed to be longer but I can't stand writing like that so I cut it short. The real Chapter 6 will be up hopefully before the end of the week.


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is the REAL chapter 6!!! I am sorry that it took so long but a little thing called life ( perhaps some of you have heard of it) has the uncanny ability of preventing you from spending as much time as you would like on writing. Also, now that the snow is gone and we can officially call it spring, life on the farm starts to get hectic and I not only have to do my regular chores ( which takes like 6 hours a day to begin off) I also have to worry about spring cleaning, vaccinating cattle and still fit in some time to practice my piano. So forgive me for not updating this story and " Fine Lines" as quickly as I would like. **

**Ellie - can you find the DC reference? I'll give you a clue, it's from Season 5. Also I just couldn't resist the R2 chapter 30 reference. I hope you get a kick out of it. **

**MoF - I told you that this chapter was going to be wordy- 9319 words without AN!!! Also thanks for the song suggestion. And just because you imagine her being so - Ingrid is hot blonde Swedish bikini model - and NOT named after my short red-headed sister- Smiles ( I hate that when you post the little smiley face thingy doesn't show up - Frowns) **

**In this chapter there is also a HSM reference ( someone from the HSM fandom challenged me to add a HSM reference to a Suite Life story) If you have watched the 1st**** HSM this will basically come out and bite you on the nose - it's a pretty big one. But it fit so nicely with what I wanted. Also there is a little reference to my one-shot " A hunting we will go"**

*** let's out a frustrated sound* Although I love Cody, at times I dislike writing him. I always end up making him sound multi-personality. So I decided to kind of explain why, and I hope you find Zack's explanation of Multiple Cody Syndrome ( MCS for short, because of course you can't have a disorder or a government program that doesn't have an acronym) both amusing and slightly plausible. Also I am a firm believer that Zack is not dumb, but actually rather clever. And his level of intelligence and the range of topics he has an interest and some knowledge about has only increased with age. Something you might notice in this chapter. **

**I am both very excited and very nervous about this chapter. It is very personal to me ( I will explain why in my AN at the end) and I really hope that you like it. This was both fun and hard for me to write. And in case you haven't pick up on the fact that I love writing dialogue, you will by the end!**

**Saturday, March 16****th**** 2019, 9:35 pm**

" Zack!"

At the sound of his name Zack glance up from his seat at one of the tables set up around the Sky Deck and chuckled to himself as a familiar red head from the past walked over in his direction. _Time to do a little gloating. _He got up and greeted his former teacher with a smile. " Hey there Ms. T." He gestured with his hand for her to take a seat and sat down himself.

" I must say Zack, I was quite impressed with your speech," she remarked as she sat down at the table beside him.

" Why, thank you. You know me, always trying to make a good impression." He gave her a smirk as he took a sip of his water.

She chuckled. " You haven't changed much, have you?"

He shrugged his shoulders and winced slightly . Every once in awhile he would forget about his injury - a good sign that his pain meds were doing their job. But now that it hurt again he was reminded that perhaps it was time to take some more. He quickly glanced down at his watch - 9:36. He would have to wait at least another 20 minutes. " I beg to differ. Back in high school I had no aspirations. Now, if I look hard enough, I may find one or two hiding up my sleeve. Plus I'm legal now, which might I add, is quite handy."

She shook her head slightly, remembering all the times that Zack and his brother - although she always got the feeling Cody was not generally a willing participant - tried to sneak into one of the many bars or clubs on the ship. But she supposed, they were teenagers at the time. And that was just part of the normal teenage experience. " I hear you have quite the respectable job now. I always knew that if you were put in a position of authority you would turn into a model citizen."

He laughed. " Oh, I am far from it. It's a common misconception, you know, that all cops are responsible and respectable people."_ Yeah, my god damn shoulder is proof of that. _

" I supposed you're probably right," she said after she thought about that for a moment. " But still, it's nice to see that you are a contributing member to society. "

He nodded, although he had a feeling she wasn't quite believing it herself. " And I must say, it's not that bad being one either."

Just then Cody and Bailey walked by, seemingly lost in each other eyes. Zack resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Seeing as it _was _their wedding night, he had made a pact with himself to keep the badgering to a minimal.

Ms. Tutweiller let out a content sigh. " I always found their relationship in high school to be rather-"

" Pathetic? Annoying?" he suggested. He couldn't bring himself to describe being called "Bailey Bunny" or " Cody Kitten" in a positive light. She glared at him. " No. I was going to say romantic."

" Please, Emma-" he paused for a moment. _Was that appropriate? _" - I can call you Emma, right?"

She chuckled slightly and patted him on the arm. " Yes, Zack. We are both adults here. You can call me Emma."

He smirked. She thought of him as an adult. And he liked that, even if he doubted she was fully convinced he had gotten out of his rebellious stage. If he was being totally honest with himself, he wasn't even sure if he was fully out of it himself. But he was working on. _You're always working on it, _his conscience pointed out. He chose to ignore it. " Well, anyways, as I was saying _Emma_, he called her his little "hale bale" and they went on dates to the Chemistry lab. And all they did was study. I mean, I went on " study dates" too, but the only subject I learnt about was the female anatomy. And that was a hands on class."

She frowned for a moment, and then shook her head slowly. "Why do I get the feeling that a lot happened on this ship that I wasn't aware of?"

" Why, I have no idea what you are talking about." He took another sip of his drink and quickly glanced at his watch. As much as he enjoyed talking to his former teacher, his shoulder was killing him. 9:45. Why did time always seem to go so slow when you had to wait?

" Okay, people let's get this party started, shall we." The voice of the DJ suddenly seemed to surround them thanks to many speakers set up around the Sky Deck. " Now, the lovely bride has agreed to sing the first song of the evening. So why don't we give her a big round of applause."

Zack let out a loud whistle as Bailey walked up to the stage set up for the karaoke singing and carefully - she was wearing a puffy wedding dress, making is a tiny bit hard to navigate at times - climbed on up. " Hey ya'll," she said with a smile, " first off I want to thank everyone so much for making this night unbelievable. And I especially appreciate all the people who had to make a long trip to get here. And second, I think I am going to show a little bit of my country roots tonight and sing some Gretchen Wilson."

The guest all cheered as the opening notes of " Redneck Women" began to play and Bailey started to sing. _" Well I ain't never, been the Barbie doll type. No I can't swig that sweet champagne, I'd rather drink beer all night. In a tavern or in a honky tonk or on a 4 wheel drive tailgate. I've got posters on my wall of Skynard, Kid and Strait. Some people look down on me , but I don't give a rip . I'll stand barefooted in my own front yard with a baby on my hip"_

Zack watched as Bailey moved around the stage and sang. She had barely touched her dinner - his theory that her stomach ache would clear up after the ceremony obviously didn't pan out - and he knew she still felt slightly sick. But she still looked like she was having a good time. He didn't think anything would have been able to dampen her good mood.

" Oh, Cody. Congratulations, once again. I am so happy that the two of you finally got married."

The sound of Ms. Tutweiller announcing his brother's arrival to their table caught Zack's attention and he turned away from his sister-in-law.

He watched as Cody pulled their former high school teacher into a hug- making sure not to spill his drink. He smirked. Although it didn't look like Cody was drunk, it was obvious that the drink in his hand was not likely his first of the night. Post Harvard Cody didn't hug people - unless they were immediate family or very good friends - without the influence of everyone's good friend and worst enemy alcohol.

" Thanks, Emma."

Zack raised an eyebrow as his brother sat down and placed his cup on the table. "So, you can call her Emma too?"

Ms. Tutweiller waved her hand and chuckled. " Cody's been calling me Emma for years now."

_Go figure. _He turned his attention to Cody. " So, Codster, are you up next to entertain us with your singing talents?"

He shook his head. " I don't think so…I'm not really that good." More proof he was not drunk yet. If he had been, he would have jumped at the chance to make a fool of himself.

Zack also shook his head. Cody was going to get up on that stage tonight, whether he wanted to or not. " Oh come on, it's your wedding, for goodness sake. You need to have a little bit of fun. And beside, most of the people here are starting to get tipsy, so I don't think it matters how good you are."

" But still, I wouldn't know what to sing."

Zack rolled his eyes. " Sing anything. There has to be a song that represents how you feel about Bailey."

" Oh…I.." He paused as he heard Bailey sing a line form her song.

"_No, I don't need no designer tag to make my man want me."_

Cody glanced up at his wife and smiled. That was so true. She didn't need to dress up to impress him, he loved her just the way she was. And she did look like she was having fun. Plus he did like to sing. _Maybe _he would sing later. But not now.

" Just sing, okay. Just get up do it." Zack grabbed Cody's drink off the table and held it out for him to take. " Here, down this, and then as soon as Bailey is done get up there and belt your little heart out."

Cody glanced at his brother and then sighed. Zack was just trying to get him to have a loosen up a bit. He eyed the cup for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders. _You know what? Screw it. This is my wedding night._

He grabbed his drink and raised it up. " Cheers." And then he pounded it back. _My head is going to hurt like a son of bitch tomorrow. _

Zack shook his head and chuckled. He still had some influence over his brother when it came to doing reckless and stupid stuff. If Cody represented to Angel on his shoulder, he most surely represented the Devil on his brother's.

Cody got up and gave his head a shake. " Okay, I'm just going to do this." And he walked over to the DJ.

Ms. Tutweiller raised a quizzical eyebrow. The last time she had spent time with the twins, Cody was rather uptight and she was pretty sure he didn't take to drinking. Time seemed to have changed him too. She just wasn't quite sure if it was in a good way or not. Although she supposed, he was in order for some loosing up. " He's a little different then he was in high school, isn't he?"

Zack gave her a smile. Of course, she wasn't used to this Cody. " Ah, I see you are getting a glimpse of what those of us close to him called Multiple Cody Syndrome."

"Multiple Cody Syndrome?" she asked over the crowd clapping for Bailey as she finished.

Zack nodded his head as the DJ announced that it was now the groom's turn to sing everyone a song. " Uh-huh. See underneath that pompous and uptight exterior is a bunch of different Codys, all begging to be let out. There is the Siamese twins, Stupid and Drunk Cody. They come out every once in a while and are usually arm in arm. I heard of little rumour that they might be making an appearance tonight, so keep an eye out for them."

Ms. Tutweiller couldn't help but laugh. _Where did he come up with this stuff?_

Up on stage Cody had begun to sing his song. _" Whenever I'm weary from the battles that rage in my head, you make sense of madness when my sanity hangs by a thread…"_

" And then there is Whiney Cody, " Zack continued, " he's _real _fun. You've met him before , during that assignment where we had to pretend to be married. And who can forget Dorky Cody? Although he hasn't really been around lately. Oh and of course there is Pissed-Off Cody and he is just plain scary. Trust me, I know. And let me see, ah yes, there is also OCD Cody. We've tried to suppress him, but he still shows up to family reunions and the occasional backyard barbeque. And Bailey once told me that there is an Aggressive Cody. But, I'm not really sure I want to know what that is about."

She shook her head. " You never cease to amaze me with the stuff that comes out of your mouth."

He smiled. " I'll take that as a complement." He once more glanced down at his watch. 10:02- finally. " Hey, will you excuse me for a moment?"

She nodded. "Yeah, sure."

He took one more glance at his brother who was still serenading Bailey with some Richard Marx song before getting up and heading off towards his room to grab his pain medication.

**10:13pm**

When Zack arrived back on the Sky Deck he noticed that Peter Markham was now up on the stage. If Cody had been worried about sounding bad, then Peter should have been terrified. But it appeared that the fact he couldn't sing worth a darn wasn't going to stop him from belting out Journey's " Don't Stop Believing"

_You can't go to a wedding or a party without hearing that song at least once, _Zack thought as he looked around for his brother.

He didn't have to look far. Cody was standing over by the stage attempting to dance to Peter's singing. " Don't…don't you just love this song?' he asked as Zack approached him.

Zack rolled his eyes. He used to love this song - back when listening to the music of your parent's generation was cool and before it started to become so popular again. Now he found it somewhat annoying. " Not really," he admitted truthfully.

" Hey," Cody called out as he put a hand on - thankfully - his brother's left shoulder to prevent himself from falling. His drinks were now starting to really effect him. " When are you going to sing?"

Zack groaned. He hadn't really intended on singing - even though he had made a joke about it in his best man speech and pretty much forced his brother to do it. "Later."

" I'm going to…going to hold you to that, okay?"

Zack nodded. " Yeah, sure." He knew that in a couple of hours Cody most likely wouldn't even remember having this conversation.

Everyone cheered as Peter finished his song with a very enthusiastic ' Don't Stop!'

The DJ spoke up once more. " Okay ladies and gents, now we're going to do something a little bit different. I'm going to randomly pick a guy and a gal from the audience to come up here and do a duet." He paused for a moment as he looked around. " Alright, why don't we have the Best Man-"

_Damnit. There goes my plan of " singing later."_

" - and that lovely blonde in the blue dress over by the bar."

Zack sighed. It looked like he really had no choice in the matter. He figured he might as well get this over with as soon as possible and jumped up onto the stage, taking a mike from the DJ.

" Hi," the voice his duet partner spoke from behind him. The voice was slightly familiar and yet he couldn't place it. He turned around and took a look at the girl. He stared at her for a moment trying to remember where he knew her from and then suddenly it hit him. _Huh, wow what are the odds? _It was the blonde for " The Red Cactus" - the one who's friend had asked him to kiss.

But now that she was out of her jeans- her loose sundress flowed freely to her knees- her hair was pulled up out of her face and she had ditched her glasses, she almost looked like a different person. And he had to admit - as he took a better look at her - that she was kind of pretty. " Uh…hi," he responded before glancing up at the screen where the lyrics of the song they were going to sing would appear. " Lookin' For A Good Time by Lady Antebellum" flashed across the screen.

At least he had heard the song before, which was always a bonus when it came to singing karaoke. He was not really an avid country music fan- although there were a couple of songs he did not mind . But Vincent was. So over the last 3 years he had heard his fair share of the genre.

He fixated on the screen as the song began. _Well, I might as well make the best of it. _He glanced over at the blonde, and she gave him a smile, before he took a breath and began to sing. "_Girl you're beautiful. You're 'bout near perfect. But, I bet somebody's already told you that. Name your poison. Name your passion. 'Cause a boy like me just couldn't help but ask._"

And then it was the blonde's turn. He turned slightly to watch her sing.

" _Keep on talkin' to me baby. I'm hangin' on your every word."_

_Wow! She is really good. _He frowned for a second as he watched her get lost in the music, swaying her hips to the beat of song. _Who is this girl? What happened to the shy, blushing girl from the bar?_

" _Keep those drinks a comin' maybe, we'll both get what we deserve"_

He joined her for the chorus, trying hard to keep his eyes on both her and the words flashing before them.

" _How 'bout baby we make a promise, to not promise anything more than one night. Complicated situations, only get worse in the morning light. Hey, I'm just lookin' for a good time."_

As he began to sing the beginning of the second verse she continued to dance about, and he suddenly had the urge to join her. She looked like she was so carefree. It was almost like, to her, they were the only people in the room. "_Put in a long hard week, doing this nine to five. And you're just the girl to get that off my mind. You shouldn't 've worn that dress, you shouldn't move like that. You got this little heart of mine in overdrive."_

She gave him a smirk as she sang her response. _"I sure love this conversation. The band is good, the music's loud. But, would you get the wrong impression if I ask you to dance right now?"_

He found his next line in the song oddly appropriate. _" Aww, yeah!" _And then he suddenly found himself becoming so lost in the music and this moment that he couldn't even remember singing the rest of the song and was quite surprised to find that it was suddenly over. He almost didn't want it to end.

She leaned forward slightly so that he could hear her speak over the sound of everyone cheering for them. " By the way, my name is Taylor. Taylor Kennedy." Then she quickly turned and jumped off the stage, heading back towards the bar.

He stared at her for a moment, slightly confused. He never would have expected something like that from the girl he briefly met this morning. From what he had gathered when she blushed and looked down at the floor that girl was shy and probably socially awkward. But this girl - this Taylor- was wild, spontaneous and if he was being honest, sexy. And he just had to know. Which girl was she? " Hey Taylor," he yelled after her.

She stopped and turned around. From the look on her face he got the feeling that she knew he was going to call after her.

" Do you often crash weddings?" He wasn't quite sure where that question had come from, yet it somehow felt appropriate.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes slightly. "No, this is the first wedding I've crashed," she admitted with a chuckle. " Actually, my friend Danielle-"

" The one who asked me to kiss you?"

She blushed slightly and he smirked. _There she is._

" Yeah , that's her. I can't believe she actually said that. I mean, you were a complete stranger. I have done some stupid and impulsive things in my life but I would never kiss a complete stranger. Particularly when I didn't even know his name. Or at least I don't think I would….you never really know, now do you? Anyways that was kind of awkward and then I had to go and be all shy and stupid."

" What?" He gestured to an empty table for them to sit. He was rather intrigued.

" I hate it when I get like that. It makes me look dumb," she replied as she took a seat.

_On the contra__ry. I found you rather cute. _

" Anyways, Dani heard that London Tipton was going to be at this wedding. And since apparently I am the most dullest 21 year-old you will ever met, because I just wanted to sit in my cabin and read, she thought I should come with her. But I told her, I said London is probably just like everyone else and most likely doesn't even like being followed around all the time. But she insisted that we try and get a picture with her."

At this Zack had to laugh. London not wanting attention? Yeah right. " Oh trust me, London loves the attention. Although I have to admit she is not so keen to be in the spot light as she used to be."

" So you know London quite well then?"

He nodded. " Yeah, I've known her since I was 12." He glanced at her, trying to gage her reaction. Most people got all star struck when they found out he was good friends with London Tipton. But she didn't seem phased at all. Suddenly he remembered something- she didn't even know who he was. " Oh, I almost forgot, the name's Zack, Zack Martin."

She pondered that for a second - twisting a lose piece of her hair around her finger. " Zackary….hmmm…Hebrew for " The Lord Recalled " if I remember correctly , although I am not quite sure what that means. And Martin, derived from the name of the Roman God of War, Mars. Not sure what that says about you, but still interesting."

He raised an eyebrow quizzically. " Okay, that was kind of random."

" Names and their meanings and origins is one of the many fascinations of mine. I like to see if people's names fit their personalities. Although most of the time it doesn't pan out. For example Taylor Kennedy means ' A Taylor who has a deformed head.' But still, I'm always curious."

_Hmmm, so she is a little bit of a dork, then. But not the same as Cody and Bailey used to be. She's not so arrogant about it. _

He watched as she stared at him for a moment - rather curious to see what she was thinking about. He couldn't help but notice that her left leg was bouncing up and down while the fingers of her right hand were softly tapping on the table- although it was rather subtle and if he had not been watching her he probably wouldn't have even noticed. But when she spoke up there was nothing in her voice to suggest that she was nervous. " So, what happened to your shoulder?"

" I got shot," he replied nonchalantly. He had lost count of the number of times he had answered this question over the past 12 hours.

" Shot? That's odd. I mean, I suppose it's not that odd, people do get shot all the time. But still, I was more expecting something along the lines of ' I fell down' or ' I got into an accident'." She prided herself on how well this conversation seemed to be going so far. _Keep this up and maybe you'll be able to get through the night without screwing up. That would be nice for a change. _

" I'm a cop," he explain in a tone that suggested this cleared up everything, which if he thought about it, actually kind of did.

_He's a cop? Really? Could this get any better? _" I see, but that still doesn't explain why you got shot. I mean, don't you go through serious training to prevent such a thing from happening?"

It didn't look like simple generic answers were going to be enough for her and he had a feeling that she was curious about a lot more things then just people's names. He also got the feeling that if he kept this conversation up he would be learning what a few of those curiosities were. But then again, he was equally curious. " I got distracted." He wasn't sure why he was telling her this, they _had _only just met. But there was just something about her that made her so easy to talk to. " Not a good thing to do when you are chasing a suspect down an alley. Particularly when you don't know if they are armed or not."

She knew that there was more to this story then he was telling, and she was tempted to push him further. But she was also trying hard not to seem like she was prying so she just nodded.

" So…uh…is this the first cruise you've been on?" He asked after a moment. That seemed like a safe question to ask someone you didn't really know but wanted to perhaps learn more about .

She nodded again. " Yeah, there are not very many opportunities to take a cruise where I come from."

" And where is that?"

" Well not to be to specific, the Canadian Prairies."

" Really?" He had not expected that. " Then why are you on a boat that left from Boston?"

She sighed. " Blame it on Danielle. Which is something I tend to do often, you know. She's a travel agent and she got a great discount on a cruise aboard the S.S Tipton. And since she decided I needed to get a life, she dragged me alone. So, how about you? This your first time?"

" Me? Oh no, actually I used to live on this boat. I spent the last two years of high school studying on the open sea, stopping at various ports around the world"

" Really? That must have been so cool."

He shrugged his left shoulder- he was starting to get the message that shrugging his right shoulder was not a good thing, even if he was on pain meds. " Yeah, I guess. But sometimes it was kind of boring. I mean unless we were on land you were stuck on the boat. And after a while you kind of ran out of new things to do."

" Still, there are some people who live their whole lives and never leave their home town. You've been all over the world and you're still really young. That's definitely a once- in -a -lifetime experience one should not take for granted." She wasn't lecturing him, just trying to point out how lucky he was. Many people would have done almost anything to get such an opportunity- herself included.

He thought about that for a moment. Although he should have realized that, it had never occurred to him. He had done somethings that most people his age could only dream of. " I never thought of it that way, but I suppose you're right ."

She gave him a smile. He noticed that she was still fidgeting. _Her body language suggests that she is anxious, and yet when she talks she is so calm. Odd. _

" So what exactly do you do up in the Canadian Prairies? Are you a farmer or something like that?" He didn't know much about Canada to tell you the truth. But he wasn't dense enough to not know that the Prairies was predominantly farmland.

" Me a farmer? Well…not really. I mean my parents are farmers and I worked on the farm until I was 20. But right now I'm a librarian"

" A what?" Definitely not what he expected.

" You know, someone who works in a library." She gave him a cheeky grin.

" I know what a librarian is." He made a show by exaggerating his eye roll.

" Just checking. You never know." She chuckled softly. _See, there is no need to worry. You can be witty and charming. Now all you have to do is start talking about something intellectual that you know a lot about , like mental illness or criminals and you have it made. _

_Ah, a sense of humour. Good to know. _" Okay, so why is a 21 year old such as yourself working in a library? Did you just one day in high school pass the library and go ' oh, that is something I would love to do after I graduate.'?"

" Oh yes, becoming a librarian has been a life long goal of mine," Her tone was full of sarcasm. " No, of course not. It's just something I do so I can keep on living in my apartment instead of on the streets or with my parents. Something to keep me busy while I try and figure out what I want to do with my life. Actually, when I was in Grade 12 I wanted to be a profiler. It has always been a dream of mine to one day have a face to face with a serial killer. "

He narrowed his eyes at her slightly. " Okay, because that's not at all creepy."

She shook her head slightly. " It's actually quite fascinating. And it's been an interest of mine for quite some time. When I was in Grade 9 I actually wrote a story about a teenage boy who had sadistic sexual fantasies. It was all about how he wanted to be normal sexually but couldn't."

As soon as that left her mouth she began to mentally chastise herself. _Damn it! You just had to jinks yourself, didn't you? Here you find a good looking seemingly decent guy who actually appears somewhat interested in you and you talk about how you were a fucked up teenager! God, he probably thinks you're a creepy weirdo and never wants to talk to you again. He is mostly likely thinking of a polite way to excuse himself from the table and walk away right now. Once again, you blew it…._

" …shit in a bucket! Of course you're creeped out right now. I mean we just met and here I go and talk about sexual sadism. I really need to get my mental filter cleaned. I'm sorry…really…" She was now rambling- her finger tapping getting faster and louder.

_Shit in a bucket? That's different. But ah, at least now what is coming out of her mouth matches her actions. _

Although the topic of her story was not one often written about by a 14 year old, he took it as face value. She had been a young, obviously somewhat intelligent, lady who had a great interest in a subject that was often tabooed by main stream society. For him it just proved his theory that she was a rather curious human being. " Whoa, clam down there. It's okay. I'm a cop remember, I have seen and heard about a lot of crazy shit. And actually, last year I went to lecture given by the BAU. It was run by some profiler guy …. what was his name…. ah, yes, a Dr. Spencer Reid. I thought my brother was a genius, but he is nothing compared to that man. By the time he was 23 he had three PhDs. Anyways, I have to admit that the idea that we can catch a perp or at least be one step a head of him - instead of the other way around- based on behaviour is kind of interesting."

She abruptly stopped tapping for a second and just stared. He wasn't turn off by her slightly morbid confession? And he had an interest in profiling? _See, you're just freaking out for no reason. _Her tapping and leg bouncing resumed, but this time more subtle then it had been during her mini panic attack. She glanced down at her hand and leg and inwardly groaned. _Now if only I could stop freaking fidgeting! _

A passing waiter suddenly caught her attention and she nodded to herself. _Aha…that would work. _" Excuse me?" she called out to the waiter.

He walked over to their table. " What can I get for you miss?"

" Coffee, black, please. Just charge it to my room. 9031."

_Coffee? Is she serious? _Zack couldn't help but be very shocked. Did she want to literally bounce off the walls?

" And for you Zack?" Of course, all the staff working the wedding knew who he was. One of the perks and annoyances of being the best man.

" Um…I'll just some water."

" I'll get that right away." He said as he turned and walked away.

As soon as the waiter left Zack turn his full attention to the women sitting at the table with him. She was getting more and more mysterious and fascinating as the night went on. " Coffee? But it's almost 11 at night and in case you haven't noticed you already are kind of hyper."

She waved her hand dismissively. " Coffee calms me down."

" Are you serious? You are aware of the fact that caffeine is a stimulant, right?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. " Of course I know that . I'm not stupid, you know . Trust me, the caffeine will calm me down. Just wait, you'll see."

He gave her a sceptical look as their drinks arrived. He would believe that when he saw it. He nodded thanks at the waiter - whose name he actually didn't know, despite he knowing his - and then glanced back at Taylor. She took a long slow sip of her coffee.

" So," she continued as she placed her cup on the table, " we know all about my….odd…ambitions in high school. What about you? Did you always want to be a cop?"

He marvelled at how quickly she seemed to just jump right back into their conversation- almost as if they had not been interrupted by her minor bout of anxiety. He shook his head as he took a sip of his water. " No, not at all. In fact I don't really think I had any real ambitions in high school."

" None at all? I don't believe that. You had to have some sort of plan."

" Not really."

" Oh come on. You graduated high school, and then what?"

For a moment he considered not answering her - or at least not in a detailed manner. But she _was_ being honest with him. So it only seemed right for him to be honest with her. Plus, he get the impression that she wouldn't hold his reckless and slightly experimental youth against him. " Well, uh… after grad I…um… spent about 5 months living in the back of a van with 6 other people, in a constant drunk and regrettably stoned state. And then I came back home, fully expecting my mother to allow me crash on her couch."

" I imagine that didn't go as planned, did it?"

" Oh no. Basically she told me to shape up or ship out. So I went and spent a couple of days living with my brother in the dorms at Harvard. Which trust me, was not the easiest thing in the world to do. Apparently they take security very seriously there and constantly check for student ids. And seeing as my brother is pretty much a stick in the mud, he refused to let me use his, even though we do pretty much look identical."

She though that last part over for a second. " So wait, you and your brother are twins, then? And your brother is the groom, right?"

_Hmmm…I can't believe I didn't tell her that. I guess I am just used to people already knowing that I am a twin and that this is Cody's wedding. _" Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to mention that. Yeah, Cody and I are twins. Both a blessing and a curse."

She nodded. She knew what he was meant. Although not a twin herself, her two younger sisters were and they always talked about how they both loved it and hated it. "Okay, so you tried to pass as an Ivy League student, then what?" She took another sip of her coffee. He watched for signs of the caffeine " calming her down", but so far she was still tapping.

" I eventually signed up for some construction and carpentry courses at Boston Bay College. Woodworking was one of the only courses in school I was actually good at."

" And that lead you to becoming a cop how?"

" Ah, well one of the first jobs I had as a construction worker was renovating an older police station. And being the naturally talkative and curious person I am, I ended up striking up conversations with the officers that worked there. Then one day one of the of the officers, Vincent Waldner - who coincidently become by partner - singed me up to go and listen to a recruiting officer do a speech at one of the local high schools. I went just to see what all the fuss was about, and by the coffee break in the middle was I hooked. It just suddenly hit me, you know. Suddenly I just knew that this was what I wanted to with my life."

_Are you getting this? Oh come, don't even kid yourself, you're totally attracted him. I mean , he's quite the looker, and hello, he's a COP. Everyone knows that a man in a uniform is your weakness. That and a sexy pair of aviators….._

He took another sip of his drink and ,almost instinctively now, glanced at her hand. He almost choked on his water when he noticed she was no longer tapping. " Okay, now that's just messed up."

" Huh?" She appeared slightly distracted, as if lost in her own thoughts. " You suddenly realizing that you were destined to be a cop is messed up?"

" Uh no, no you suddenly stopped fidgeting."

She glanced down. " Oh, I guess I have. Hmmm… told you the caffeine would calm me down." She gave him a cocky grin. At the confused look on his face she added. " I have Attention Deficit Disorder."

_Well that explains the fidgeting, I guess. But not the coffee. _" So, you can't focus or sit still, right?" He knowledge on the subject was limited, just the basic understanding that people with ADD couldn't concentrate. " But how does that explain why coffee calms you down?"

" First off, ADD is a lot more complicated then most people think I wish it was only a matter of not being able to paying attention or sit still. And second, I was getting to coffee part if you would stop interrupting me." She gave him a smirk to let him no there was no hard feelings. " Anyways, do you ever wonder why they give kids with ADD stimulants?"

He mulled that over for a second and then nodded. It was kind of strange. " Yeah, that is odd, giving hyper kids uppers."

" That's because apparently- and I actually asked my high school mental health worker this - people with ADD have neurotransmitters - brain waves - that are slower then "normal" people."

" Okay?"

She shrugged her shoulders. " Yeah, I don't really get it either, but apparently that's the theory, so whatever. Anyways, the stimulants speed up the brain waves to normal, essentially claming you down. I'm no bio psychologist so really I can't tell you much , all I do know is that when I drink coffee I feel more relax and stop fidgeting."

" So, you must drink a hell of a lot of coffee then. Or be a drug addict or something." He gave her a smirk.

She shook her head lightly. "No, not at all. I'm not fidgeting all the time. Just when I am really nervous or excited or sometimes I have no idea why I am fidgeting, which really sucks."

Contemplating what she had just told him, he reached for his cup of water, but upon realizing that it was empty, put it back down. That did sound rather frustrating, and he had a feeling that this was just the tip of iceberg sort of speak.

**Sunday, March 17****th**** 2019, 12:35 am **

" …..and then, get this, I told them that my dad played with tits for a living!"

" Get out. No way!"

Taylor tried to contained her laughter as she replied. " No, I'm serious. It's a pretty damn good thing that my kindergarten teacher also happened to be my neighbour and knew that my dad is dairy farmer."

" That's just great." His side and shoulder were hurting from laughing so much. But he just couldn't help it. Who knew that this mysterious Canadian librarian had once been a rather outspoken, unruly child?

He had to admit that the stories about her childhood and teenage years were highly amusing, and he was pleased to know that he wasn't the only hooligan running around. Her stories almost made him wish that he had grown up in country, instead of in a hotel in downtown Boston. Oh what fun he would have had; jumping out of trees onto unsuspecting cows, getting his old pick-up truck stuck in deep patches of mud, going fishing in the ditches in the spring, having all that wide open space to explore. But still, spending his adolescent years at the Tipton had been one hell of a ride - and he had experienced some of the best moments of his life there. He supposed, he couldn't have it all. And he had grown up the way he did, and she the way she did. And it neat to hear about a completely different upbringing.

" Yeah, well you know how the song goes ' God is great, beer is good and people are crazy!"

He chuckled. " I'd drink to that….if I still had something to drink." He raised his glass to show it was empty.

It seemed that some good ole coffee and the reassurance that Zack truly wasn't going to use the things she said against her, had caused Taylor to become the confident, funny and opinionated person she truly was. There was no longer any sign of the fighting or shy girl he had seen earlier. The women sitting before him truly amazed him- he had never met anyone quite like her. Not only was she able to have intellectual conversations about topics such as how school systems were not equipped to teach students who have a different way of learning besides regurgitating facts or how first responders were most definitely overworked and underpaid, but she was also able to be more causal and laid back.

Plus she was rather sharp and quick with her witty humour. He still couldn't believe what she had said when he told her a story about how Woody had once again failed to pick up a chick. Having also learnt that while in high school Zack gave Woody a handful of "creative" nicknames, she had given the man across from her a playful chuckle before responding with " you should have said ' Hey, Plywood, it looks like you're not getting nailed tonight!'" He had never laughed so hard in his entire life then he did in that moment- or at least not in a very long time. Why - after all these years- not he not come up with that? Particularly when someone who didn't even know Woody could.

Instinctively glancing at his watch, Zack felt his eyes bulge out slightly. Was it already 20 minutes before 1? It certainly didn't feel like he had been sitting here talking for almost two hours. But, you know what the say - time flies when you're having fun.

Suddenly Taylor nodded her head in the direction behind him. " Hey, isn't that your brother?"

He turned his upper body around - fully expecting to see Cody doing something stupid. He was surprised to see that he was simply walking - with slight help from his wife - in their direction. " Yeah, that's him."

" Zachary Thomas Martin, come over here and give your baby brother a hug," Cody hollered as soon as he and Bailey get closer to the table.

Zack raised his eyebrows at both Taylor and Bailey before getting up from his chair. Careful not to hurt his bad shoulder he pulled his brother into a hug.

" I wanted ….I wanted to thank you….wanted to thank you fffffor…for your best man speech." Cody slurred as they pulled apart.

" No, problem, dude. It was the least I could do."

" No, seriously…. that really really meant something to me. I love you soooo much man."

" I love you too." Zack resist the urge to laugh. His brother definitely did not look like the former Junior- Vice President of TI, or even a Gourmet Chef. He looked like a drunken fool - which if Zack really thought about was exactly what he was at this moment.

" Hey," Cody wrapped his arm around his brother's right side - causing him to wince slightly. " do you know what you want do right now?"

Zack wiggled out of his brother's embrace. "What do I want to do?"

" You want," he paused for a moment to think this over, " you want to come with me….. yes come with me to the Easy Squeezy for a…. for a Prune Madness."

_A Prune Madness? Not happening. A Banana Fophana? Now I could go for that. _

" And you can bring you pretty little friend here too." He gave her a smile. " I don't bite…well…that's not quite true….I did bite Zack once when we were like 3 and he stole my candy bar," he shook his finger at his brother and attempted to chastise him, " bad, Zack, bad. But I haven't done it since….nope I haven't."

She gave her head a small shake and tried to hide the fact that she was about to burst into giggles. For someone who was apparently a stick in the mud, he was highly entertaining. " Well then Cody, I think we'll just have to expect your offer."

Cody stared at her for a moment " You know my name! How do you know my name?" He turned to his brother. " Are…are you telling lies about me?" His eyes got wider when another thought hit him. " Are you telling the truth about me?"

Zack let out a chuckle and patted Cody on the back. " Don't get your silk boxers in a twist. I didn't say anything bad about you." He gave Taylor a wink and then continued. " Now, come on, let's go get us a Prune Madness."

**2:20 am **

After enjoying his Banana Fophana - Cody had been most offended that his brother didn't want a Prune Madness, but got over it quickly once Bailey agreed to share one with him - they met up with Woody, Ingrid and Pete and decided to head down to " The Red Cactus". Immediately upon entering the bar/ restaurant, Chris - the bartender- took one look at Cody and told him he would not be serving him alcohol. Zack actually agreed it was probably the best. If his little brother had any hope of having a " traditional" wedding night, he could not afford to become more intoxicated. Without really having to put up much of a fight, Bailey convinced Cody that there was definitely better things to be doing besides having a couple more shot anyways, and lead him assumingly back to their honeymoon suite.

And then Woody - always full of smart ideas - challenge everyone ( minus Zack of course) to a drinking contest. Basically the first one to puke or stop drinking won. Zack had to shake his head at the idea. Obviously Taylor was going to win - she was the only on there who didn't have a head start. But that didn't stop Woody from thinking he was going to win.

Zack was actually surprised that Taylor agree to this. But apparently she wasn't one to back down from a challenge and she was suddenly in the mood to be a little rowdy and restless. He wondered if she got like that often.

Like he predicted she drank them all under the table sort of speak. And it had been kind of funny to watch Woody pout about it and then have a drunk - hot- Swedish model tell him that he was still number one in her mind. He supposed it was kind of cute and romantic in a twisted way. But he still couldn't get over the fact that Woody was with a girl like that - particularly when time had not helped at all in the looks department. But maybe Cody was right, love was blind.

The only problem was that now Zack had a drunk, and singing, girl on his hands - and getting her back to her cabin was proving to be difficult.

" _She's my drinking buddy, she's got tight blue jeans. Uh-huh. Long blonde hair, she's a cowboy's dream. She can knock 'em back, shot for shot, like you've never seen. What's even better, is a little bit later, I just might get lucky, with my drinking buddy._"

He had to admit that although her voice was not a nice as it had been when they sang together all those hours ago, there was still something very appealing about- even though she was making a slight fool out of her self. And her song choice was kind of ironic - he found himself wondering if she was singing this song as a way to show that she was " every cowboy's blonde haired, tight jean wearing drinking buddy" and was hoping to get lucky, or if it was just something that randomly popped into her head. From how she had so easily flirted from one random subject to another in their early conversation, he figured it was the latter. But, he wasn't 100% sure. Maybe it was subconscious a mixture of both. Whatever the reason, it had somehow caught his attention.

" Zachary Martin," she suddenly called out as she stopped singing and they stopped in front of her cabin door.

" Taylor Kennedy," he answered back.

" Why…why are we moving?" She placed a hand on the wall the keep her self for falling over.

He rolled his eyes slightly. " We're on a boat. We are always moving." He let out a small laugh as he suddenly remember that moment before he had become lost a sea. _I am starting to sound like my brother. Another thing I need to work on._

She turned to face him and pointed her finger at him. " You are so smart! What would I do without you?"

" Well, you'd probably be spending the night in a life raft or something like that." He gave her a cheeky grin.

" True…..so true." She let out a sudden gasp. " Hey, do you know what I just thought about? Plywood is probably really going to get nailed tonight, which means we totally can't use that little joke thingy anymore."

_What? Where in the world did that come from? Although, I guess I should have expected something like that. _" I suppose you are right."

" And do you what else I think?" She asked as she moved until she was standing in front of him. She had long ago taken the pins out of her hair and now hung loosely at her shoulders. He concluded that he liked it like this, slightly wavy and a tad bit unruly- but still pretty and nice. Kind of like her personality.

" No, I have no idea. What else do you think?"

" You have a very sexy voice." She said it with such conviction that he was slightly taken aback. Did she really think his voice was sexy? Lots of girls had told him that over the years. But none like this.

" Uh…is that so?" He glanced at her face, surprised to see intensity in her eyes. He knew what she wanted, and he knew that he wasn't going to stop her if she made a move.

She nodded slowly and placed a hand on his cheek. " Uh-huh. And do you know what else?"

He slowly shook his head, her hand feeling oddly warm against his skin.

She gave him a sultry grin. " If you bought yourself a leather jacket and a pair of aviators, like cop style - wait do you have a pair because that would be like so cool and totally -"

He placed a finger on her lips. " Shhh, don't talk."

And for once she didn't. Instead she leaned up and kissed him, ever so gently on the lips. But as soon as he kissed her back, she added intensity, her tongue now forcing it's self down his throat. He let out a muffled moan. If he was being completely honest with himself, he had been waiting for this moment since the they had sang together. And now that it was happening he didn't want it to end. As she pushed him up against the hallway wall primal instinct took over and in that moment he wanted nothing more then to take her right here in the hallway. But " other Cody" had different plans.

_You can't do this. It's wrong, she is drunk. _

He tried to ignore his conscience as one hair roamed through her hair and the other tugged at the hem of her dress. But didn't appear like he was going to get what his body so badly wanted.

_But she isn't like this. She doesn't have sex with guys she just met, you know that. And what about Anna?_

That had done it. He couldn't ignore that one. _But….but it's not like Anna is faithful to me anyways. And…and I am going to end…I will. _

" Other Cody" sighed. _And this is your chance to start over. Do it right for a change. Have a relationship that is based on more then sex. A real relationship. _

A real relationship? The thought was so powerful that he stopped kissing her- a confused look forming on her face as he did so. He took a deep breath. He may regret this later, but suddenly he knew that exactly what he had to do. It was the right thing to do. He wasn't sure if Taylor would even remember this moment or if the whole evening had as much of an impact on her and it did him and he wasn't even sure if what he was about to do made any sense, but he had to try. Something about this women attracted him to her- something beyond looks. And " other Cody" was right. This could be his one chance, a chance to do it over.

" Taylor, we…we can't do this."

**The ending is not exactly how I pictured it would be, but it works. Plus I really really wanted to just post this chapter already- it took me like 2 weeks to write- so I was like it's good enough.**

**Now, on to the reason why I was so excited and nervous about this chapter. My BFF is always telling me that one day I should put myself in one of my fanfics, just to see what people think of my quirks. So, I finally did it. The character of Taylor is basically me, with minor changes. It is actually a lot more nerve-wracking to write a story about yourself and your personal dilemmas then I originally thought. **

**Plus I really wanted to show what it is like to be a young adult with ADD. It is extremely frustrating because you want to be treated like the adult you know you can be, and yet you do stupid things that make people still see you as immature. And when you say something without thinking or do something dumb in front of someone you just meet, more often then not you ruin the relationship you are trying to establish ( whether that be romantic, friendship or business). But most of the time you freak out for no apparent reason at all and sometimes you just want everything to slow down or even better stop altogether. But that isn't the way it works. I also wanted to emphasize that people with ADD really are walking contradictions. You can meet an adult ADD women in a bar and think she is the most mature, respectable person you have ever met and then turn away for a second and when you look back she is dancing topless on the bar. Okay, that might be a little over the top, but you get the point. I like to compare it to jelly beans. See, let's say you have a bowl of jelly belly beans - you know all those different flavours mixed together. And you randomly pick one and have to eat it. That's okay if you pick something you like, say blueberry for example. But that's not so good if you pick one you dislike , say peanut butter for example. But the point is you can't just throw the peanut butter one back, you have to eat it. Now, pretend all those flavours are personality traits or habits. And blueberry is intelligence and peanut butter is nervous tapping. It's great if you randomly pick blueberry, but kind of sucks if you pick peanut butter. But you are stuck with what you pick. And then it's gets better because you become greedy and take a handful ( some blueberry, some peanut butter, some strawberry jam - say excessive talking, etc) Now either you get a little bit of each flavour or they all combine and your taste buds can't distinguish between the different flavours and it is therefore confused. This causes you to be very frustrated and often leads to a " break down" where you basically just go stir crazy. Make sense? Anyways, the point is expect some really insightful moments from Taylor, but also expect some really childish and off beat ones as well. But I think that this randomness and spontaneity is what attracted Zack to her in the first place. I hope that you can see the possibility of this relationship because the rest of the story kind of depends on that. **

**Reviews would definitely make me less anxious about putting myself so out there. **


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